Month: January 2021

Merck said Monday it will stop developing both of the current formulations of the Covid-19 vaccines the company was working on, citing inadequate immune responses to the shots.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/25/in-a-major-setback-merck-to-stop-developing-its-two-covid-19-vaccines-and-focus-on-therapies/

The four following posts indicate the Covid-19 vaccine does not prevent transmission, even asymptomatic transmission.

• SARS-Cov 2 = name of new strain of corona virus.

• COVID-19 = the human disease caused by the new virus.

• Vaccine prevents the disease COVID-19 in our body, it does not prevent us from picking up the virus SARS-Cov 2 & transmitting it, it does not prevent asymptomatic transmission.

• IF THE VACCINE LEAVES US YET CAPABLE OF BEING INFECTIOUS, WHY ARE WE BEING FORCED TO TAKE IT TO FLY, TO TEACH, TO PRACTICE MEDICINE, ETC?

Does vaccine protect against transmission? Let us consider Johns Hopkins:

Although the phase 3 clinical trials are designed to determine whether vaccinated individuals are protected against disease, it will also be important to understand whether vaccinated individuals are less likely to transmit the virus. This is likely but not ensured.

It appears not. Let’s look further.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/vaccines-faq

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html

DO I NEED TO WEAR A MASK AND AVOID CLOSE CONTACT WITH OTHERS IF I HAVE GOTTEN 2 DOSES OF THE VACCINE?

Yes. Not enough information is currently available to say if or when CDC will stop recommending that people wear masks and avoid close contact with others to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide in real-world conditions before making that decision. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision. We also don’t yet know whether getting a COVID-19 vaccine will prevent you from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to other people, even if you don’t get sick yourself. CDC will continue to update this page as we learn more.

While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic.

To protect yourself and others, follow these recommendations:

• Wear a mask over your nose and mouth
• Stay at least 6 feet away from others
• Avoid crowds
• Avoid poorly ventilated spaces
• Wash your hands often

Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations for how to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/does-getting-the-covid-19-vaccine-stop-you-spreading-it-scientists-dont-know-yet-11610989882?espv=1

Rapid at-home paper test may be the solution.

Today, the best evidence suggests that about half of Covid-19 cases are caused by infected people who do not have symptoms when they pass on the virus. These symptom-free spreaders are roughly divided between those who later develop symptoms, known as pre-symptomatic individuals, and those who never develop symptoms.

[…]
The two vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration have been proven to prevent illness, but not asymptomatic infection. Even after vaccination, the coronavirus may still temporarily take up residence in the lining of the respiratory tract, making it possible to infect others. Preliminary results from one vaccine trial seem encouraging, with an apparent two-thirds reduction in asymptomatic infection after the first dose. But many other studies are underway.

[…]
What’s needed is a pivot to a different type of testing. Antigen tests, which look for a bit of coronavirus protein, cost just a few dollars each and can yield results in minutes. Like home pregnancy tests, they require minimal instruction. [Low cost] Antigen tests are ideal for spotting people who are infectious, rather than those who may be long past the infectious phase of Covid-19, or who harbor such low levels of the virus that they are unlikely to infect others.

[…]
Inexpensive rapid home tests would help infected people isolate themselves before they could spread the virus. Frequent testing — at least several times per week — is essential, as demonstrated by successful testing efforts at some universities, which have enabled students to return to campus. A new focus on self testing, in combination with financial assistance and perhaps even temporary housing for isolation, would directly address the problem of asymptomatic infection.

.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/23/asymptomatic-infection-blunder-covid-19-spin-out-of-control/