Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine SUSPENDED!

[Hypocrite-The]

Major setback to the AstraZeneca vaccine causing chaos and confusion
There has been a call for calm as GPs raise legal fears about the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than 1.6 million Australians have received the COVID-19 jab but a major setback to the AstraZeneca vaccine is causing chaos and confusion in the community.

Australian Medical Association President Dr Omar Khorshid today called for calm about the nation's vaccine roll-out.

"Right now we've got GPs, doctors, we've got hospitals, governments, scrambling to work out what it means for them and how we reset the programs," Dr Khorshid said.

The Pfizer vaccine is the preferred jab for Australians under 50, after AstraZeneca was linked to rare blood clots.

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine vials (Getty)
(Getty)
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) issued updated advice recommending that the AstraZeneca jab be reserved for those over the age of 50, due to a rare but serious side effect of a blood clotting disorder.

While the AstraZeneca vaccine isn't banned for an aged group, some doctors were concerned they could face legal action if their patients suffered serious side-effects.

"We have strong, clear indemnity protection against any side-effects of the vaccine for patients and doctors," Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

However, Shadow Health Minister Mark Butler claims doctors are feeling "left in the lurch by government making decisions on the run".

There is also confusion over the vaccine timeline. The federal government previously aimed for all Australians to have their first dose by the end of October this year.

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison won't be drawn on a new target date, Trade Minister Dan Tehan said the goal was "by the end of the year".

However, Mr Hunt was quick to step back Mr Tehan's comments, saying there has been no change to the timeline. He would not be drawn on a specific date, other than to say all Australians will be vaccinated "as early as possible".

The AstraZeneca vaccine has much less stringent storage criteria compared to the Pfizer shot, presenting further logistical challenges for the government. (Nine)
Leading Australian epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter said the Federal Government needs to "entirely rethink" its coronavirus vaccination strategy after the AstraZeneca health warnings.

"The vaccine program frankly was already pretty much in disarray," Professor Baxter told Weekend Today.

"Now that we have to wait for a large part of the population for the Pfizer to come, they will have to rethink the program entirely."

Professor Baxter said Australians under 50 could still elect to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine if they chose, noting the risk remained remote.

"It's uncommon - about 1 in 100,000 to one in 200,000 people - meaning that 99,999 people who get the AstraZeneca vaccine do not have a problem," she said.

Around one-quarter of those who do develop the blood clotting reaction will die.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday refused to outline a revised timeframe for when all Australinas will have received their COVID-19 vaccines. (Alex Ellinghausen/Sydney Morning Herald)
Professor Baxter noted that this was still lower than the risk profile for many other drugs which continue to be used in Australia.

"When we give any medication, there's always some risks of side-effects. That's accepted because of the benefit of the medication," she said.

"If you got penicillin for an infection, there's ten times the risk there would be a serious drug reaction with that drug (compared to the AstraZeneca vaccine)."

Professor Baxter said the age cut-off was in part based on a weighing up of the risks of the vaccine versus the risks of contracting coronavirus.

"Older people are at more risk of COVID-19, so the risk-benefit equation balances out better for them," she said.

"Also, there is some data that indicates age is a risk factor, so younger people are more likely to get it (blood clots) than older people."

Leading Australian epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter has told Weekend Today the government needs to rethink its vaccination strategy "entirely". (Weekend Today)
It's expected that more data will be uncovered over the coming months.

The Federal Government has already responded to the ATAGI recommendation by contracting a further 20 million doses of the Pfizer shot in addition to 20 million already secured - enough to vaccinate the bulk of the adult Australian population - but those additional doses won't arrive in Australia until at least October.

Professor Baxter, who is the head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, said Australia should already have enough Pfizer doses to progress through Phase 1B of its vaccine rollout.

This includes vaccinating all Australians over the age of 70 and Indigenous Australians over 55 - all of whom can still receive AstraZeneca under current health advice - but also many younger Australians, including healthcare workers, emergency responders and those with underlying medical conditions that make them vulnerable.

However, logistical concerns around administering the Pfizer vaccine are likely to further delay Australia's already tardy vaccination progress.

Australia's vaccine rollout is broken down into phases. (Graphic: Tara Blancato)
More ultra-low temperature freezers will likely need to be secured and getting the vaccine to more remote locations could prove problematic.

Australia's third vaccine option, Novavax, has been contracted for 51 million doses but is unlikely to be approved for use in Australia for several months as it is still undergoing phase three clinical trials in the United Kingdom.

"We have to reboot - they really need to rethink the program," Professor Baxter said.

"Once we get enough Pfizer to be vaccinating a large number of people, we need to look at how we approach it.

"We need to do it faster than we were hoping before, if we're hoping to get everyone vaccinated by the end of the year."

It's a goal that now appears unlikely, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison refusing to outline a revised timeline for the vaccination program at his National Cabinet update on Friday.

 

[eatshitndie]

now the equivalent of cdc in prc admits the sinovac vaccine is not up to par with the world’s leading mrna vaccines. only 50% efficacy as it is admitted, and this number is modified based on real data from brazil. they can’t fake it with bogus data anymore as other cuntries are using it and realizing it is not working out. the head of prc’s cdc proposes mixing prc-made vaccines with western-made vaccines namely mrna vaccines to improve efficacy numbers. he also suggests that prc should look into making its own mrna vaccine. prc is truly fucked if a new deadly and highly transmissible variant in china emerges.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Australia abandons COVID-19 vaccination targets after new advice on AstraZeneca shots
FILE PHOTO: A healthcare professional prepares a dose of the Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine as high-risk workers receive the first vaccines in the state of Victoria's rollout of the program, in Melbourne, Australia, February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders//File Photo
12 Apr 2021 08:05AM
(Updated: 12 Apr 2021 08:18AM)
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SYDNEY: Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million people by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca's shot.
Australia, which had banked on the AstraZeneca vaccine for the majority of its shots, had no plans to set any new targets for completing its vaccination programme, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon (Apr 11).
"While we would like to see these doses completed before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved," Morrison said.
Authorities in Canberra changed their recommendation on Pfizer-BioNTech shots for under-50s on Thursday, after European regulators reiterated the possibility of links between the AstraZeneca shot and reports of rare cases of blood clots.
Australia, which raced to double its order of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week, had originally planned to have its entire population vaccinated by the end of October.
Australia's hardline response to the virus largely stopped community transmissions but the vaccination rollout has become a hot political topic - and a source of friction between Morrison and state and territory leaders - after the country vaccinated only a fraction of its 4 million target by the end of March.
About 1.16 million COVID-19 doses have now been administered, Morrison added, noting the speed of Australia's vaccination programme was in line with other peer nations, including Germany and France, and ahead of Canada and Japan.
Australia began vaccinations much later than some other nations, partly because of its low number of infections, which stand at just under 29,400, with 909 deaths, since the pandemic began.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Second Australian case of blood clots likely linked to AstraZeneca vaccination
Posted 2h
A vial of AstraZeneca vaccine is held up.
Australians aged under 50 are recommended to get the Pfizer vaccine amid fears of rare blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination.( Reuters: Gareth Fuller )
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The national medical regulator has concluded a recently reported case of blood clots is likely linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Key points:
The new case is the second case of potentially deadly thrombosis likely linked to the vaccination in Australia
It means the frequency of the disorder after getting the vaccine equates to 1 in 350,000
The federal government and the TGA says the Pfizer vaccine is now the preferred treatment for Australians under the age of 50
It is the second Australian report of a case of so-called "thrombosis with thrombocytopenia" following the shot.

The case occurred in a woman in her 40s who was vaccinated in Western Australia.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), in a statement, said the woman was in hospital receiving treatment, and was in a stable condition.

A panel of expert advisers to the TGA met last night and found the blood clots were similar to cases seen in Europe and the United Kingdom, because it included significant blood clots in the veins and a low blood platelet count.

Fears about rare blood clots prompted the federal government to last week revise its use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine is now the preferred treatment for Australians under the age of 50, however, the government insists the AstraZeneca vaccine remains safe.

The first Australian report of a case of thrombosis linked to the vaccine was a Melbourne man who was hospitalised earlier this month when he developed blood clots almost a fortnight after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Given there have been about 700,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Australia to date, the two cases of thrombosis equates to a frequency of 1 in 350,000.

The TGA said people who had received COVID-19 vaccines should not be concerned about common side effects, including fever, sore muscles, tiredness and headache, which can last for up to two days.

"The reports of these rare clotting complications have occurred later (between day four and 20 after vaccination) and have generally been severe, requiring hospitalisation," the statement read.

The regulator said people should seek immediate medical attention if in the first days after vaccination, they developed symptoms such as persistent headaches or blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal pain, unusual skin bruising or round spots beyond the site of injection.

Labor health spokesman Mark Butler said the second case further highlighted the need for more vaccine options in Australia.

"In the UK, they've been able to substitute vaccines from Moderna and Johnson and Johnson for AstraZeneca, which has been the subject of a decision similar to Australia's," he said.

"Here in Australia we don't have those back-up options."

Posted 2h

 

[Hypocrite-The]

'Your chances of winning Lotto are much higher': TGA says AstraZeneca blood clots are extremely rare
Play Video
ABC News Channel live stream.
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The Therapeutic Goods Administration's deputy secretary says two cases of blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia have come from over 700,000 doses administered.

Here's a summary of what happened on Monday:

A returned traveller from the Philippines died from complications from COVID-19 in Queensland overnight, becoming the first person to die of the disease in Australia since October 2020
A second Australian COVID vaccine blood clotting case developed two weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca shot, WA Health Minister says
The case, a second in more than 700,000 AstraZeneca vaccines administered in Australia, means people have "more chance of winning the lottery" than developing the symptoms, Therapeutic Goods Administration deputy-secretary John Skerritt says
Global coronavirus cases rose for the seventh straight week
No new community transmission cases were recorded in Australia, but eight new cases were recorded in Adelaide in hotel quarantine
Signing off for the night
That's all from us here.

Thank you for joining us through the afternoon for news, alerts and updates.

Have a nice evening, we'll be back tomorrow.


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Olympic torch relay runs through empty park in Osaka as case numbers rise

AP: Thanassis Stavrakis
The torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics ran through a mostly empty Osaka city park on Tuesday, showing the risks of trying to hold the postponed games during a pandemic.

It came on the same day that the government said new coronavirus cases in Osaka hit 1,099, a single-day record for Japan's second largest metropolitan area.

The torch relay began three weeks ago in north-eastern Japan, attempting to navigate around the pandemic with a total of 10,000 runners crisscrossing the country and bound for the opening ceremony on July 23 in Tokyo.

Osaka, which announced plans last week to take the relay off city streets and bar the public, became the first detour since the relay began. Organisers warned beforehand there may be more.

Wednesday's second leg in Osaka — the day the Tokyo countdown clock hits 100 day to go — will be in the same park under the same closed-doors conditions.

New COVID-19 cases are rising across Japan, where fewer than 1 per cent of residents have been vaccinated in very slow rollout.

Japan has attributed about 9,500 deaths to COVID-19, far fewer than many countries but higher than most neighbors in Asia.

Osaka, Tokyo and other parts of Japan have declared "quasi-emergency" conditions until early May with bars and restaurants being asked to close by 8:00pm.

Many runners arrived in Osaka's Expo '70 Commemorative Park by bus and ran short legs carrying the torch alongside metal barriers or in empty park space.

They were accompanied by security officials who jogged or walked alongside, and followed by an "escort" or "promotional" vehicle festooned with logos of major Olympic sponsors Coca-Cola and Toyota.

After the postponement a year ago, organisers talked of doing away with the relay to save money. That idea never gained traction, largely because it's promoted by some of the IOC's largest sponsors.

The top sponsors paid the International Olympic Committee $US1 billion ($1.31 billion) in the last full Olympic cycle (2013-2016). That number could double when the next cycle is completed with the postponed Tokyo Games.

A poll conducted Saturday and Monday by Japanese news agency Kyodo showed 13.2 per cent want the relay to continue until the opening ceremony. Another 49.3 per cent said the relay should be canceled in areas with severe outbreaks, and 35.9 per cent said it should be called off entirely.

Opposition to holding the Olympics in a pandemic is also strong in Japan with up to 80 per cent saying the games should be canceled or postponed.

The Olympics and Paralympics are expected to draw 15,400 athletes and tens of thousands of officials, judges, media and broadcasters. Fans from abroad have been banned.

- Reporting by AP

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos tests positive for COVID-19
The Spanish giants have confirmed that its captain has tested positive for coronavirus.

The result comes in the days before Real Madrid's Champions League quarter final against Liverpool at Anfield.

Ramos is currently injured and had already been ruled out of the game.


Twitter: Sergio Ramos
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Jimmy Barnes receives COVID-19 vaccination
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Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev tests positive to COVID-19
World number 2 Medvedev, who finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic earlier this year, has withdrawn from a tournament in Monaco.


AP: Andy Brownbill
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Catch up on Queensland cases
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What right does the government have to keep families apart? If the internal borders were closed for a year there would be riots. Why don't people with family overseas matter? Why don't stranded Aussies matter? I suspect that Australia will have one of the greatest covid mental health tolls of all countries.

-Angry
So now Morrison understands that the virus writes its own rules... Pity he didn't have that understanding last year towards stranded Australians who didn't have the virus rulebook nor the international caps rulebook. Perhaps an apology is owing...

-Hindsight
If Hunt says "Vaccination alone is no guarantee that you can open up" the international border, then why aren't they building more quarantine facilities so they can raise the caps? Don't want to tell my kids their fifth flight has been cancelled.

-Can't have it both ways
Disgusted that residents such as myself could not visit my dieing father during covid when no cases were reported in his country town and yet now returning travellers who may be carriers can get a leave pass.

-Alan
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Contingency for NRL Magic Round in case of COVID
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says plans will be in place in case a COVID-19 breakout or border closures hamper plans for the code's Magic Round.

The round brings all 16 teams together to play in Brisbane in the same stadium over three days.

After a successful debut in 2019, the Magic Round was cancelled in 2020 due to the national COVID restrictions.

Mr Abdo says there is a risk bringing all the teams together, but they'll be prepared.

"There are always concerns, concerns 24 hours a day such as the world we live in but all I can say is we will be prepared and ready for any scenario," he said.

"We had to move two times two rounds ago and at this stage it is great, and the government is wonderful, particularly the Queensland and New South Wales governments and all state governments have done a wonderful job.

"At this stage we are excited the trans-Tasman code being open and allowing Kiwi friends to come across."


Former NRL players launched the Magic Round in Brisbane today.
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NT Health Minister wishes new blood clotting case a speedy recovery
The Northern Territory Health Minister has confirmed a woman who developed blood clotting after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine is "recovering well" in intensive care in Royal Darwin Hospital.

Natasha Fyles said the woman in her 40s was transferred to Darwin earlier this month after presenting with stroke-like symptoms at a regional Western Australian hospital.

"She was cared for in Royal Darwin Hospital and it was upon her care and her clinical presentation that they realised there may be a correlation with the vaccination," Ms Fyles said.

"We've seen the TGA and ATAGI confirm today that her clinical incident is a result of being vaccinated.

"It's important to people to note this is only the second presentation in Australia.

"But still very concerning for her and her family, and we wish her all the best."


NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles.
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Indian district using rail carriages to accommodate COVID-19 patients
Indian Railways has reached an agreement with a Maharashtra district close to the border with Gujarat, to give it about 95 carriages and 1,500 beds.

Maharashtra is currently under lockdown, and has become the epicentre of the country's third wave.

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WA Health Minister says woman believed to have developed blood clotting is 'recovering well'
A woman in her 40s believed to have the second case of blood clots linked to AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine in Australia developed the symptoms about two weeks after receiving her shot, according to the WA Health Minister.

Australia's medical regulator announced earlier today that Australia had recorded a second case believed linked to the small number of blood clotting reactions to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The woman received her vaccination in mid-March as part of the 1a/1b cohort and reported to the emergency department of a WA regional hospital about a fortnight later, Roger Cook said.

She was then flown to Royal Darwin Hospital.

"WA Health has been working across jurisdictions with the TGA and the Northern Territory Department of Health to inform today's announcement," Mr Cook said.

"We've informed the public as quickly as we could.

"The potential link of the vaccination needed to be confirmed by the TGA's expert panel before WA could discuss the case publicly.

"The TGA's expert panel concluded that the case is similar to the other cases in Europe of a very rare clotting disorder, referred to as TTS [thrombosis with thrombopenia syndrome]."

Mr Cook said the woman's family said her progress had been "very positive" and that she was "recovering well".

She is in a stable condition in ICU, Mr Cook said.

Industry group calls on federal and state governments to lay down arms over vaccine rollout
Innes Willox, head of the Australian Industry Group, has called for the different levels of government to stop the infighting.

"I think what we have seen is a slow but steady rollout of the vaccine. I think that is the way to put it. What's been marked here from a business perspective is again, as we've seen right for the past year, this level of distrust between the Commonwealth and some of the states. We saw it through last year at various times as we evolved through COVID and now we are seeing more breakouts of hostility between the Commonwealth and some of the states over the rollout. Of course, the Commonwealth is the procurer and the states are the deliverers of the vaccine," he said.

"From a business perspective, we just really would hope that they put down their arms and their weapons and they come to some agreements and understandings about how this is going to work. All of this plays into confidence, even though business confidence is relatively high because compared to a year ago we are a million miles ahead of where we were last April but this now plays into longer term decisions around investment, job creation and the like. We are in a strange part of our economy at the moment where we have huge vacancies, about a quarter of a million job vacancies, that we can't fill at the moment and business is desperately trying to get back up on its feet. What we also need a vaccine rollout for is because we are watching the rest of the world moving ahead here. The US, the UK, Europe, all planning to sort of have their doors open for better or worse but by the end of the year. They will be talking with each other, trading with each other and there is a real risk as Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday that we will get left behind here. That is a big concern to business."


Innes Willox
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Expert says government right to be selective on vaccines, but calls for talks with Moderna

Terry Nolan, head of vaccine and immunisation at the Doherty Institute, says the strategy should not be about securing deals with as many companies as possible, like with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but going with the right companies.

"I don't think it's right to say we should be trying to get as many as we can but being smart about the choice of vaccines, which the government has tried to do from the beginning, as the risk of vaccine use has changed or the perceived risk has changed over time, the ability to indemnify or protect against that risk is what sensible investment in vaccine procurement has been all about. In the very beginning we didn't know whether any of the vaccines would work. We didn't know whether any of the vaccines might have adverse events which might mean they would not be useable at all or require some restriction on their use and a year ago when I was talking to people about the evolution of the vaccine clinical trials and said exactly this, that there are potholes in the road that we have to negotiate and as it turned out we have a raft of vaccines that appear to be very highly effective, not just appear to be there is very good evidence that they are very highly effective but as things are emerging now with massive deployment throughout the world some of the subtleties about possible side effects are starting to emerge and also issues around reliability of supply have also come to light which has been a real problem for us in Australia in being able to have enough vaccine as quickly as we'd like and some insurance against having to change the way in which we deploy the vaccine as we go," he said.

Professor Nolan says the government has been talking to Moderna for over a year, and he would like to see a deal with the vaccine which is being used in the US and UK.

"It was very clear that Moderna in particular was the frontrunner at the very beginning, they were the first in the clinical trials in last year of March of 2020 and they also have had a relatively problem-free run. The issue is they are a relatively small company. They didn't have any licensed vaccines and a track record of delivery so that uncertainty also had to be dealt with. And in addition, the demand for their vaccine has been huge worldwide. So I do still think though — I'm hoping that Moderna is a company that the government might be able to strike a deal with and provide further support for our platform. There are bumps in the road still to come I'm sure and possibly with the mRNA vaccines, we don't know yet, but so far that hasn't been the issue but I would very much like to see another mRNA vaccine in our portfolio," he said.

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Viral fragments detected in wastewater in Ringwood and surrounds
The Victorian Department of Health has issued its daily COVID-19 update.

There have been no new cases in the last 24 hours, the 46th day in a row without a community transmission case.

However, the department has urged people with symptoms in Ringwood and surrounds, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

"Residents of and recent visitors to Ringwood and surrounds who have even mild COVID-19 symptoms are urged to get tested after viral fragments were detected in the local wastewater catchment. Weak detection of viral fragments in a wastewater sample collected on April 8 has been confirmed by further laboratory testing," the department says.

"The catchment includes some or all of Bayswater, Bayswater North, Boronia, Croydon, Croydon North, Croydon South, Heathmont, Kilsyth, Kilsyth South, Montrose, Ringwood, Ringwood East, Sassafras, The Basin, Tremont and Wantirna.

"Anyone who has been in these suburbs and has any symptoms of COVID-19 from 6 April to 9 April is urged to get tested.

"Fragments of the virus detected in wastewater may be due to a person with COVID-19 being in the active infectious phase or it could be because someone is continuing to shed the virus after the infectious period."

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Australia expects Pfizer acceleration towards the end of the year
Tracking back to Greg Hunt's press conference earlier. The Health Minister says he's expecting a rush of vaccinations in the final few months of the year, when millions of Pfizer doses are slated to arrive in Australia.

The federal government has doubled its order of Pfizer jabs from 20 million to 40 million.

Pfizer will play a larger-than-expected role in the vaccine rollout, as it's now the preferred vaccine for Australians under 50.

Mr Hunt says while deliveries of the vaccine will steadily increase, the bulk will be administered late in the year.

"The additional 20 million at this stage, are scheduled for the final quarter. That would mean a significant sprint for those who hadn't been vaccinated by then. It means enough vaccines for everyone."

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Pacific nations push on with AstraZeneca rollout
Pacific Beat reporter Marian Faa spoke to ABC News just recently about the decision of some Pacific Island nations to continue with the vaccination rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A number of Pacific countries have decided to continue with their rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, including people under the age of 50. That's including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

Of course, that's after discussion and consultation with their local health experts and organisations like the WHO.

It's important to remember that every country, the context around COVID-19 is very different.

So, for example, in Australia, where we have very limited community transmission of COVID-19, the risk benefit equation of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine is very different to somewhere like Papua New Guinea, where there is widespread community transmission.

But that being said, this potential link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and very rare but serious blood clots is causing concern, especially among young people.

The latest update from the Papua New Guinea government is they have reported more than 8,600 cases of coronavirus and 69 known deaths.

And that represents about an eight-fold increase, just in the last two months. So, there is a lot of concern about the spread of the virus in Papua New Guinea.

And just today about 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca arrived in Papua New Guinea from India. That was under the global COVAX facility. And Australia had also indicated lit begin weekly distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the Pacific, starting out with PNG and then rolling out to other countries, like Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

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[laksaboy]

Singapore talking to AstraZeneca about vaccine
22 March 2021
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-talking-astrazeneca-vaccine-072855455.html

---

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Singapore talking to AstraZeneca about vaccine
22 March 2021
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-talking-astrazeneca-vaccine-072855455.html

---

Singkieland should just concentrate on the moderna vaccine as the data is out. N moderna just requires a standard freezer. The Pfizer minus 70deg c refrigeration is BS. The other viral vector vaccine is yesterday's tech n is creating more problems

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Second Australian blood clotting case developed two weeks after COVID vaccination, WA Health Minister says
A close up of Roger Cook's face as he speaks at a media conference outside parliament
WA Health Minister Roger Cook says the woman is in a stable condition in ICU.( ABC News: James Carmody )
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A woman in her 40s believed to have the second case of blood clots linked to AstraZeneca in Australia developed the symptoms about two weeks after receiving her vaccination, according to the WA Health Minister.

Key points:
The vaccine was administered to the woman in mid-March
She was flown to a Darwin hospital after falling ill
The case is similar to others in Europe who developed a rare clotting disorder
Australia's medical regulator announced earlier today that Australia had recorded a second case believed linked to the small number of blood clotting reactions to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The woman received her vaccination in mid-March as part of the 1A/1B cohort and reported to the emergency department of a WA regional hospital about a fortnight later, Roger Cook said.

She was then flown to Royal Darwin Hospital.

"WA Health has been working across jurisdictions with the TGA and the Northern Territory Department of Health to inform today's announcement," Mr Cook said.

"We've informed the public as quickly as we could.

"The potential link of the vaccination needed to be confirmed by the TGA's expert panel before WA could discuss the case publicly.

"The TGA's expert panel concluded that the case is similar to the other cases in Europe of a very rare clotting disorder, referred to as TTS [thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome]."

Woman 'recovering well'
Mr Cook said the woman's family said her progress had been "very positive" and that she was "recovering well".

She is in a stable condition in ICU, Mr Cook said.

A pair of gloved hands uses a syringe to measure a vaccine.
The majority of Australians had been set to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country's planned vaccine rollout.( ABC News: Isabella Higgins )
He said the AstraZeneca vaccine would continue to play an important role in the state's vaccination program.

The Health Minister said there were stringent monitoring processes in place both in WA and across Australia when it came to vaccine delivery, with more than 700,000 doses of AstraZeneca administered across Australia.

He said almost 30,000 of those were in WA, with 15,400 of those going to people under 50.

Play Video. Duration: 1 minute 26 seconds
Scott Morrison says he wants to provide transparency and reassurance about the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Appointments to receive an AstraZeneca shot in a WA clinic for people under 50 have been cancelled but Mr Cook said new consent protocols were due to be put in place from tomorrow.

He said where benefits outweigh the risks, adults under 50 would be able to give informed consent to the vaccination if they chose.

Health minister encouraging people to 'take the opportunity to get vaccinated'
Mr Cook said anyone who can get vaccinated should do so.

"I just want to remind everyone — we're not safe until we're all safe," he said.

"Otherwise, we're just sitting ducks."

He said Australia's heavy reliance on AstraZeneca was producing "new challenges".

"I believe the Commonwealth will be making more commentary in relation to this in coming days in terms of ways forward," he said.

"We are having approaches by healthcare workers and others who say 'I'm under 50, but I understand the risks, I want to continue to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine'.

"But it is a problem, and this is a challenge for the Commonwealth."

'An important next step'
Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson said the state currently had around 30,000 AstraZeneca doses and 18,500 Pfizer doses, with some delays expected in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Like Mr Cook, he urged people to keep their appointments.

"Obviously these kinds of events will make people think twice about having the vaccine, but I think there's also a very large groundswell of people who realise the vaccine is an important next step," he said.

Around 400 appointments were cancelled on Friday and state clinics saw around 1,000 people fewer than normal on Monday.

Aquagenie needs to 'sail away'
Mr Cook said a crewmember from the bulk carrier the Aquagenie who was airlifted from Karratha to Perth last night is in a stable condition.

The man in his 50s, from the Philippines, is in a negative pressure room at Royal Perth Hospital.

Mr Cook said the first report of the sick crew member was made to WA Health of April 8, with the man evacuated on April 9 and transferred to Karratha Health Campus on April 11.

The health of the other crew members continues to be monitored.

"Obviously, we've got a responsibility and obligation both moral and legal to assist any vessel that's in distress, and that's why we've assisted in the case of the crewman at this time," Mr Cook said.

"But let us be clear — we do not want that ship to tie up, we believe it's an unacceptable risk."

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Talk about hypocrisy,,give them free vac,,they KPKB,,,,perhaps they should focus on herd immunity


PNG facing AstraZeneca vaccine hesitancy as some locals refuse to take jab amid rollout
Pacific Beat
/
By Marian Faa, Evan Wasuka and Lice Movono
Posted 18hhours ago, updated 15hhours ago

Miriam Siwi says she and her family won't be getting the AstraZeneca vaccine because of its side effects.(
Supplied: Mariam Siwi
)
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Australia's decision to limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people under 50 has created vaccine hesitancy in Papua New Guinea, where the government is continuing with its rollout of the jab.
Key points:

• As many as 8442 people have been infected with COVID-19 in the country and 69 people have died
• Many in PNG want more evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe.
• Health experts insist dangerous side effects are very rare

Evidence that use of the vaccine can lead to very rare blood clots in people under 50 has given some citizens more uncertainty about its safety.
But PNG's population is overwhelmingly young. The average age is just 22 and AstraZeneca is the only vaccine currently available in the country, where COVID-19 numbers are surging.
As of Monday, 8,442 people have been infected with COVID-19 in the country and 69 people have died from COVID-related issues.

Health experts are now trying to reinforce the message that AstraZeneca is safe.(
AP: Firdia Lisnawati
)
But many still have reservations about vaccines.
Miriam Siwi, 48, is a businesswoman who lives in Mount Hagen, in PNG's Western Highlands, where COVID-19 has already killed two people and infected hundreds.
She told the ABC that she and her family will not get the vaccine because of concerns about its side effects.

"I will not get it, I will deny," she told ABC's PacBeat.

"There are a lot more side effects after [getting] the vaccine, after a long period of time," she said.
On social media, many have echoed her concerns saying they want more evidence the vaccine is safe.
Health experts are now trying to reinforce the message that AstraZeneca is indeed safe and that dangerous side effects are very rare.
Australia has a 'double standard'
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WATCH
Duration: 2 minutes 25 seconds2m 25s

Professor Brendan Murphy explains the changes to Australia's vaccine rollout.
Khai Huang, an infectious diseases expert at the Burnet Institute in Australia said there was definitely a risk that keeping the rollout in PNG could be perceived the wrong way, given Australia's limitation warning.
"It might be perceived that there is, you know, a double standard, like, why would Australia say this? And yet it's okay for PNG," Dr Huang said.
PNG's COVID outbreak

I live with six others in Port Moresby, which is at the centre of PNG's COVID-19 outbreak. If one of us tests positive to this deadly virus, I am unsure how we will be able to isolate ourselves.
Read more
He said it was important for those concerned to remember that AstraZeneca is still a safe and effective vaccine.

"The risk is very small, and it's something we need to really keep in perspective," he said.

Local health authorities in PNG decided to continue rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine after consulting with the World Health Organization (WHO).
More than 130,000 doses are set to arrive from India, and the Australian government has promised to soon send thousands of locally made vaccines every week.

Chris Topa says it's becoming harder and harder to sort fact from fiction.(
Supplied
)
According to WHO, only between 11 and 29 people in PNG — out of an estimated 8 million or so people — might develop the rare blood clots after receiving the AztraZeneca vaccine.
Other medical authorities like Dr Huang say many more people will likely die from COVID-19.
So he supports the PNG government's decision to continue administering the vaccine to people under the age of 50.

"In PNG, it's a very different context with widespread community transmission and already seeing a lot of impacts in terms of morbidity and mortality and impact on the health system. So there isn't really time to waste," he said.

Dr Huang said vaccine hesitancy could be a big setback.
Chris Topa, 36, works in PNG's capital, Port Moresby, and said it was becoming harder and harder to sort fact from fiction.
"It's not just you sourcing information from the government, you also have information from other parts of the world, and there's a lot of pros and cons you have to [filter] through, not only with just the pandemic itself but also with the vaccine," he said.
But Mr Topa said when the time comes, he will roll up his sleeve and get vaccinated.
"We all live in a community. So it's important to not only be able to think about yourself, and how it affects you in terms of the pandemic, but also how you can be able to protect your fellow man or a woman," he said.
Conflicting information in Melanesian countries

Nirmal Prasad said he would not take the vaccine.(
Supplied: Lice Movono
)
Australia has also promised to send thousands of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to other Melanesian countries including Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands in the coming months.
But some people in those countries are also concerned about the vaccine.
Nirmal Prasad, 32, lives in the Fiji capital Suva, which has not had cases of community transmission for months.
He said he would not take the vaccine.
"We have everything, we're going everything normally here in Fiji so we don't need," he said.
Like PNG, Fiji's population is young, and the country has also been hard-hit economically by the pandemic.
Tens of thousands of people lost their jobs in the tourism industry, including 34-year-old Julius Salato.
He used to work on cruise ships, so for him, getting the jab means getting back to the job he loves.

Julius Salato says if it means getting back to work he'll get the vaccine.(
Supplied: Lice Movono
)
"Ever since COVID I've been home waiting to get back to work but that all depends on the Australian government and the vaccine," Mr Salato said.

"I would love to take the vaccine, if it means getting back to work I'll get the vaccine."

Fiji's Health Ministry said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh the risks, but it is developing new guidelines and operating procedures to reassure people.
And in the Solomon Islands, which is already rolling out doses of the vaccine it received through the global COVAX facility, the government is also sticking with it.
COVID-19 specialist Yogesh Choudhri said the target population is front line workers, who are all younger than 55.
"There is no consensus right now by the WHO and EMA, so I don't see any reason we should restrict the AstraZeneca vaccine for a specific age group," Dr Choudhri said.
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WATCH
Duration: 3 minutes 13 seconds3m 13s

The AstraZeneca vaccine presents minimal risk for a profound reward.
Posted 18hhours ago, updated 15hhours ago

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Singkieland should be proud that they did better than Kangaroo land,,,,,Kangaroo land really cock up big time


National cabinet to return to 'war footing' in effort to fix problem-plagued COVID vaccine rollout
By political reporters James Glenday and Tom Lowrey
Posted 1hhour ago, updated 32mminutes ago

Scott Morrison admitted the vaccine rollout faced "serious challenges".(
ABC News: Nick Haggarty
)
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has asked the National Cabinet to hold two meetings a week to try to get the nation's troubled vaccine rollout back on track.
Key points:

• Mr Morrison blamed his government's failure to hit targets so far on "patchy international vaccine supplies" and "changing medical advice"
• The decision to step up the meetings will allow for more discussion between leaders and health ministers
• On Friday, the PM said his government had "secured" an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine

With a population already fatigued by missed or abandoned rollout targets, and concerns about vaccine hesitancy due to rare blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca shots, the federal government hopes to swiftly restore public faith in the plan.
National Cabinet, which is made up of the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders, was formed at the start of the pandemic to tackle the unique problems it presented.
This year leaders have been meeting monthly, though senior federal government sources say they now want to return to a "war footing".
In a statement announcing the additional meetings, Mr Morrison admitted the vaccine rollout faced "serious challenges".
He again blamed his government's failure to hit targets so far on "patchy international vaccine supplies" and "changing medical advice", arguing more cooperation is key to "making our vaccination program as good as it can be".
"There are issues we are trying to deal with as a federal government," Mr Morrison conceded, after facing days of criticism for refusing to say when all adult Australians will receive their first dose and what that means for reopening the international border.
RECAP: Look back on the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
"But amongst the states and territories, they are also tackling their own unique issues and working together we are all going to be in a better position to find the best solutions.

"National Cabinet will convene on Monday 19 April and will meet bi-weekly for the foreseeable future until we solve the problems and get the programme back on track."

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WATCH
Duration: 2 minutes 25 seconds2m 25s

Professor Brendan Murphy explains the changes to Australia's vaccine rollout.
Hopes extra meetings will patch up state and federal relations
The decision will not only allow for more discussion between leaders and health ministers, but also the potential for blame for any future failures to be more broadly shared around.
In recent weeks, state and federal ministers have been involved in tit-for-tat arguments about who is responsible for delays in getting vaccines into arms.
Relations between the federal government and some states hit a spectacular low a fortnight ago over a dispute about figures that outlined how many vaccine doses had been delivered to states, and how many had been distributed.
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WATCH
Duration: 1 minute 40 seconds1m 40s

Why isn't Australia ordering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
Suggestions from some federal ministers that states "pull their finger out" was met with open fury in both Labor and Coalition state and territory governments.
It made for a heated build-up ahead of last week's National Cabinet meeting, with days of discussion about the states' various grievances with the vaccine rollout.
The Prime Minister has often cited his frustration with coverage of tension between the states and federal government ahead of National Cabinet meetings.
Moving to a bi-weekly format will give the states more opportunity to raise issues with the rollout, and perhaps generate less heat in the days ahead of meetings.
Australia warned to be prepared for more vaccine supply disruptions
Australia's vaccine rollout was thrown into turmoil at an evening press conference last week, when Mr Morrison and the nation's top medical officers declared the scheme would have to be reworked because of concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine's possible links to a rare blood clotting disorder.
Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak

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The shot, which was the mainstay of Australia's vaccination plans and the only vaccine that can currently be made in Australia, is no longer recommended for people under the age of 50.
How to talk about vaccines

It's normal for people to have questions about new vaccines. So what's the best way to respond?
Read more
On Tuesday, a West Australian woman in her 40s became the second person to have developed clots linked to the vaccine.
But the program had been behind schedule well before last week's announcement, largely due to a stoush between big pharmaceutical companies and some European nations, which ultimately led the European Union to prevent exports of millions of vaccine vials to Australia.
"Australia needs to be prepared for the possibility of more disruption — it's just the reality," said Ramus Bech Hansen, the head of British company Airfinity, that advises nations on their vaccine portfolios.

"It's going to be very difficult to get vaccines out of Europe in the short term.

"They want them for their own populations.
Got questions about the COVID vaccines? We have answers

Confused about Australia's vaccine rollout? We've tracked down the answers to the questions you've been asking.
Read more
"The best chance is the United States, where the rollout is going remarkably fast.
"Globally, perhaps due to urgency, the worse a country is performing in terms of COVID-19 cases, the better they seem to be doing getting vaccines out to their populations.

"Fortunately Australia has a lot of vaccine options and almost no COVID cases."

On Friday, the PM said his government had "secured" an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, taking Australia's total number of doses of that jab to 40 million.
But the extra vials are not expected to arrive until the final three months of the year.
Australia has also ordered 51 million doses of Novavax and 53.8 million doses of Astra Zeneca.
Trade Minister to use Europe trip to warn against 'vaccine protectionism'
This week, the Trade Minister Dan Tehan will travel to Europe for a series of meetings that will include discussion about "vaccine protectionism".

Some doubt whether Mr Tehan's Europe trip will have the desired result.(
ABC News: Nick Haggarty
)
"I think it will be difficult to force countries to do anything," he said, when asked about European nations blocking exports.

"What I think we can do is encourage countries to really focus on increasing production, so that contracts can be honoured."

One of his meetings will be with the new World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has vowed to address global inequities in vaccine allocation and wants more attention paid to the developing world.
Read more about Australia's vaccine rollout:

• How serious are the risks of blood clotting from the AstraZeneca vaccine?
• Why is the Astrazeneca vaccine approved for over 50s?

She has asked countries and pharmaceutical companies to consider firing up under-utilised manufacturing plants in Africa and Asia to boost supply, as well as the waiver of intellectual property rights for some COVID-19 jabs.
"The vaccine inequity is glaring," Ms Okonjo-Iweala said this week.
ATAGI and Australia's COVID vaccines

Who are the experts who have caused Prime Minister Scott Morrison to change Australia's approach to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and why did they do so?
Read more

"I'm a pragmatic person and what hurts me now is that people are dying from not having access to vaccines."

The Morrison Government has asked the EU and AstraZeneca to provide one million of its contracted doses from Europe, which it then plans to divert to Papua New Guinea.
But the federal opposition is skeptical that will happen, and is worried Australia's current shortage of vaccines could hurt the nation's reputation and diplomacy efforts in the Pacific — particularly as other nations like China offer assistance.
"I doubt Dan Tehan will be able to secure additional vaccines on this trip," said Pat Conroy, Labor's international development spokesperson.

"We are in this position because this government failed to set up additional manufacturing facilities, so that we could manufacture other vaccines, like the Pfizer vaccine.

"There is a race in the Pacific to be the partner of choice for many small nations."
"Assisting them now, in a time of crisis, will be something they remember for years to come."

 

[Rogue Trader]

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine just got suspended as well for blood clotting risk

 

[Hypocrite-The]

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine just got suspended as well for blood clotting risk

There seems to be more issues with these Viral Vector vaccines,,,and in ang mor lands,,,the regulations are more stringent,,,I shudder to think what the shit is happening with the CHICON vaccines whereby they hide unfavourable data all the time.. Also in Kangaroo land,,,they abandoned their own vaccine development plan because of side effects,...it was another viral vector vaccine I think


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12...accine-uq-trial-cancellation-setback/12973724

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04...ohnson-astrazeneca-adenovirus-covid/100064674

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine production set back due to supply shortages
Posted 12mminutes ago

Data released in March from the UK trial showed the vaccine to be highly effective against COVID-19.(
AP: Alastair Grant
)
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Novavax Inc has pushed back the timeline for hitting its production target of 150 million COVID-19 vaccine doses per month until the third quarter due to supply shortages, dealing another blow to the federal government's rollout plans.
Key points:

• Novavax is one of three companies the federal government struck a deal with to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in Australia
• It will need to be imported to Australia because of a lack of capable vaccine manufacturers
• The company has faced difficulties sourcing key production materials, including single-use bags used to grow vaccine cells

Australia has an agreement for 51 million doses of Novavax originally slated for "mid-2021", at which point executives had said full-scale vaccine production could be achieved.
"We said during our earnings call that we expect all capacity to be online by around mid-year. We're continuing to refine that timing as we get closer, which now leads us to think we're online/at full capacity by Q3," Novavax communications director Amy Speak said in an email.
"There are some supply shortages that come and go that have contributed to the revision in timing. These have included things like the bioreactor bags and filters."
Novavax could receive UK regulatory authorisation for its vaccine as early as this month after releasing impressive UK trial data. There, it will be manufactured locally but in Australia it will need to be imported because of a lack of capable vaccine manufacturers.
RECAP: Look back on the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the ABC understands Novavax has been in early-stage talks with Australia's biopharmaceutical sector to explore options to outsource some of its supply locally.
Your COVID-19 vaccine questions answered

Got questions about the COVID-19 vaccines being used in Australia? We have answers.
Read more
The company told the ABC it would "continue to move forward as aggressively as possible to deliver a safe and effective vaccine to end the pandemic".
"We already have an advance purchase agreement in place with Australia and we continue to work toward finalising our regulatory submissions," the company said.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the Therapeutic Goods Association did not have the "final components" of Novavax's clinical trials yet.
"But when we do, the TGA, as it did with the other two vaccines we have been using in the last couple of months will absolutely expedite that matter and as soon as Novavax is ready to supply to Australia we will be going through those processes," he said.
Materials running short
The Maryland-based company is one of several COVID-19 vaccine makers that have had to push back production timelines due to industry wide shortages of raw materials and difficulties getting plants up and running.
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and blood clotting explained

Medical regulators are drawing a connection between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the rare side effect — but insisting it is safe. So what is going on?
Read more
Reuters reported last month that Novavax had delayed a planned deal to ship at least 100 million doses of its two-shot vaccine to the European Union, in part because of supply challenges.
In a Saturday interview with The Guardian, Novavax chief Stan Erck said the company had faced difficulties sourcing key production materials, including single-use bags used to grow vaccine cells.
"Single-use bags are facing critical shortages and delays," said Mark Womack, chief business officer of AGC Biologics, a contract manufacturer that is producing materials used in Novavax's vaccine.
Data released in March from the UK trial showed the vaccine to be highly effective against the original strain of the novel coronavirus as well as the more contagious and deadly variant first discovered in Britain and now rampant in Europe and the United States.
The data also suggests the shot provides some protection against a highly concerning variant that emerged in South Africa, which some drugmakers have said may require a booster shot to address.
ABC/Reuters
Posted 12mminutes ago

 

[Hypocrite-The]

What is Novavax, Australia’s third COVID vaccine option? And when will we get it?
April 13, 2021 4.47pm AEST
Author

1. Jamie Triccas
   Professor of Medical Microbiology, University of Sydney

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Jamie Triccas receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
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As AstraZeneca is no longer the preferred vaccine for Australian adults under 50, attention is turning to what other COVID-19 vaccine options are in our arsenal.
The federal government has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which will become the mainstay of the rollout, while AstraZeneca will continue to be administered for people over 50 in the current phase 1B.
The federal government also this week ruled out using Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine.
But Australia does have a deal for a third vaccine, by US biotech company Novavax. The government has ordered 51 million doses of this vaccine, though it’s yet to be approved by Australia’s drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which is expected to make a decision in the third quarter of the year.
At this stage, Novavax would be made offshore and imported, although Melbourne-based biotech CSL can make the vaccine if requested by the federal government.

How does the Novavax vaccine work?
The Novavax vaccine is given as two doses, similar to the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots already being used in Australia.
It can be stored for up to three months at fridge temperature, which differs from the Pfizer mRNA vaccine which needs to be kept at ultra-low temperatures. In saying that, the TGA said last week the Pfizer vaccine can be stored at normal freezer temperatures for two weeks during transport, and at fridge temperatures for five days — though must still be kept ultra-cold after transport and in the long-term.

Comparing Australia’s three COVID-19 vaccine options. Jamie Triccas, made with BioRender, CC BY-ND
The vaccine also uses a different technology to the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines. It’s a “protein subunit” vaccine; these are vaccines that introduce a part of the virus to the immune system, but don’t contain any live components of the virus.
The protein part of the vaccine is the coronavirus’ “spike protein”. This is part of the other COVID-19 vaccines in use but in a different form.
Read more: New coronavirus variant: what is the spike protein and why are mutations on it important?
The Novavax vaccine uses a version of the spike protein made in the lab. The spike proteins are assembled into tiny particles called “nanoparticles” which aim to resemble the structure of the coronavirus, however they cannot replicate once injected and the vaccine cannot cause you to get COVID-19.
In order for these subunit vaccines to generate strong protective responses, they need to include molecules that boost your immune system, called “adjuvants”. The goal of these adjuvants is to mimic the way the real virus would activate the immune system, to generate maximum protective immunity.
Novavax includes an adjuvant based on a natural product known as saponin, an extract from the bark of the Chilean soapbark tree.
How effective is the vaccine compared to those already in use in Australia?
The interim data from phase 3 testing, released in March, was very encouraging. When tested in the UK in a clinical trial including more that 15,000 people, the vaccine was 96% effective at preventing COVID-19 disease for those infected with the original strain of the coronavirus.
This compares well to the Pfizer vaccine, with an efficacy of 95%, and recent data from AstraZeneca demonstrating 76% efficacy against COVID-19.
The Novavax vaccine is also safe. In early clinical testing the vaccine caused mainly mild adverse events such as pain and tenderness at the injection site, and no serious adverse reactions were recorded. In the larger trials, adverse events occurred at low levels and were similar between the vaccine and placebo groups.

Novavax’s efficacy against the original strain of the coronavirus is 96%, and 86% against the UK variant. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/AAPWhat about protection against variants?
In the UK trial, the vaccine maintained strong protection against disease in people infected with the B.1.1.7 “UK variant”, demonstrating 86% efficacy.
This is good news because the B.1.1.7 variant is now dominant in many European countries, is more transmissible and deadly than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, and is responsible for most of the cases that have arisen recently in Australia.
Read more: The UK variant is likely deadlier, more infectious and becoming dominant. But the vaccines still work well against it
Less encouraging is protection against the B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa, which can evade immunity that developed in response to earlier versions of the virus. The efficacy of Novavax’s shot dropped to 55% in protecting against COVID-19 symptoms from this variant. Protection against severe disease however was 100%, indicating the vaccine will still be important in reducing hospitalisation and death due to this variant.
Novavax, along with the other major vaccine companies, are developing booster vaccines to target the B.1.351 variant. Novavax are planning to test a “bivalent” vaccine, which targets two different strains, using the spike protein from both the original Wuhan strain and the B.1.351 variant.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Kangaroo land fucked it up real bad.

Time for a rollout reset, GPs say, with Pfizer freezers a major hurdle
Australia must develop a new, more centralised model for its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, with general practitioners unable to deliver the preferred Pfizer vaccine to younger Australians, disrupting plans for millions of vaccinations.
Doctors say mass vaccination clinics will be needed to inoculate people aged under 50 following the federal government’s decision late last week to preference the Pfizer jab – which cannot be easily stored at doctors’ surgeries – over AstraZeneca for this age group.
The country’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is set for a major overhaul, with general practitioners unable to give the preferred Pfizer vaccine to younger Australians, disrupting plans for millions of jabs. AP
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said GPs – who had been given the responsibility for the bulk of the vaccine rollout – did not typically have the facilities in their clinics to store unopened Pfizer vials for two weeks at the required temperature of about minus 20 degrees.
“It can’t just go in the freezer in the tea room,” Dr Khorshid said. “And we just don’t have those facilities out there in the community. Therefore, even though we are now getting 40 million doses of Pfizer … we are going to have to deal with the logistics, which in our view means a more centralised model, where the vaccines are stored centrally and rolled out to bigger clinics where they know they’re going to be used within a short period of time.”
The federal government on Monday confirmed the vaccine rollout was being reviewed and would be “recalibrated” following recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.
On Thursday the expert group recommended the Pfizer vaccine be preferred for those under 50 because of a suspected link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and very rare cases of a clotting syndrome.
Vaccine rollout targets have been thrown out the window as Scott Morrison concedes it's impossible to know whether all Australians will receive a COVID-19 shot by the end of the year.
Australia has significantly missed its initial vaccination targets due to supply issues, and the AstraZeneca decision means the locally produced vaccine will no longer be the cornerstone of the nation’s rollout.
The country is now relying on a further 20 million doses of Pfizer to rescue the program.
Thousands of GP clinics are expected to continue delivering the AstraZeneca vaccine to millions of older Australians – those at greatest risk of complications from COVID-19 – without the need for mass vaccination clinics.
Dr Khorshid rubbished the idea that the GP rollout was somehow failing or slow, citing supply as an issue. “If we had double the vaccine availability, then actually normal general practice could absorb all of that, without major hassle,” he said. However, he said unless things changed in coming months, such as through other vaccines becoming available, it would be necessary to develop a new model of distribution for the final group of adults due to be vaccinated by Pfizer – those in phase 2b, who are aged 49 or under.
“I think that at this stage the simplest way to get that started would be state-run clinics, but they may need a GP workforce to help them,” he said.
In contrast to many countries, Australia has opted for a staggered, GP-led national vaccination program, signing up more than 4500 clinics to the coronavirus immunisation scheme.
The logistics of getting doses to thousands of different locations around the country has proven challenging. As Australia enters its eighth week of the vaccine rollout, thousands of the most vulnerable people, including those with disabilities and living in aged care, are still waiting for their first dose.
Delays have been heightened by vaccine supply constraints from overseas, which have plagued Australia’s rollout.
A mass vaccination centre set up inside Salisbury Cathedral in England in January. AP
Overseas, the use of public spaces – including Salisbury Cathedral in the south of England – as mass vaccination centres has worked well, allowing people to be socially distanced as they are immunised against COVID-19.
The US vaccinated 100 million people in eight weeks and Britain vaccinated 25 million – about half its adult population – using mass vaccination centre models.
The Victorian government is operating a number of mass vaccination sites, but they cater for essential workers and are yet to open to the general public. NSW has also pledged to open a hub in Homebush.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Victorian chair Anita Munoz said the Pfizer vaccine would need to be dispensed from cold-chain hubs, unless new technology became available making it possible for GPs to distribute the drug.

We need people who are eligible to have access to locations (so) they can get vaccinated quickly.
Dr Anita Munoz

Dr Munoz said she wanted to see mass vaccination clinics open to the general population eligible for an AstraZeneca vaccine, in addition to the GP program, if enough supply was available.
“We need for people who are eligible to have access to locations that mean that they can get vaccinated as quickly and as conveniently as they need,” Dr Munoz said.
“If that means a person will access that shot by going into the city to a mass vaccine hub, then so be it...
“[If] they feel safer to talk to their GP, which I think makes a lot of sense too, then they do it in the community.”
However, former Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone stressed that more than 10 million people, including most Australians aged over 50 in the first three phases of the vaccine rollout, were still likely to be immunised with AstraZeneca over Pfizer.
“For people over 50 with chronic disease the benefit profile of the AstraZeneca vaccine far exceeds the risk,” he said. “If you wait for a Pfizer vaccine alternative, you could be waiting a very long time. That means you’re still at the mercy of lockdowns, you’re still at the mercy of a new outbreak if it gets into the community.”
The long shot: delays, uncertainty and confusion in Australia’s vaccine rollout
He said public confidence in AstraZeneca had suffered a significant blow from the change in clinical guidance, and it would take time to reassure the public – including the elderly, who are still eligible for the vaccine – about its benefits.
“Confidence about this vaccine is being tested in a significant way,” he said
The Victorian government said on Monday that its pause on administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 50 might last for more than two weeks while it waits for the Commonwealth to distribute consent forms in languages other than English.
Acting Premier James Merlino said he still had confidence in the national vaccine program, but it required a reset.
“The implications ... are quite significant and require a recalibration of the Commonwealth’s rollout,” he said.
On Monday Victoria confirmed two more cases of coronavirus among returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
With Paul Sakkal
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[Hypocrite-The]

Compared to pap.. kangaroo politicians n civil Serpents r retards.
As WA Health Minister puts rush on jabs, AMA says it won’t burst travel bubble
Delays in the vaccine rollout will not change border controls, according to a leading West Australian physician who says it will be at least 2025 before normal travel returns.
A second case of a rare clotting disorder has occurred in a WA patient who was part of the early rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Australia.
WA Health Minister Roger Cook. PETER DE KRUIJFF
The new case was a woman in her 40s, who was in a stable condition in intensive care in Royal Darwin Hospital after being admitted 11 days ago.
Since WA Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson delivered the Commonwealth’s revised advice about the AstraZeneca vaccine, just four West Australians aged under 50 had received a jab in public clinics. WA currently has 18,000 doses of Pfizer and 30,000 of AstraZeneca.
Health Minister Roger Cook acknowledged people’s trepidation in receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine but said Australia had a choice to make.
Medical detectives on look out for rare AstraZeneca side effect after new case in WA
“If we don’t get the population of Australia vaccinated we are sitting ducks,” he said.
“We need to make sure we continue to make sure that we get the vaccination program going because we aren’t going to be able to open up to the rest of the word, we aren’t going to be able to travel, not going to be able to get to a new normal until we get our population vaccinated.”
However, Australian Medical Association WA president Andrew Miller said getting vaccinated wouldn’t open borders quicker.
“We don’t yet have a vaccine for children and we’re not going to be able to open the country up and allow COVID just to run rampage through the under-15s because we know some of them will do badly in the short term and some of them will get long COVID,” he said.
“Until we really get a vaccine that will roll out for kids, the time is not on without some sort of border control, some sort of quarantine in place.”
He said while international travel may happen towards the end of 2022, people would still wear masks, get tested and have to quarantine.
“That’s going to be years and open borders like we had before and frequent travel like we had before, that’s not going to be for a few years,” he said.
He said it was important to keep border controls to populations that have virus variants occurring even after Australia completed its rollout and was able to give its excess vaccines to other nations.
Mr Cook said at the age of 55 he was confident about taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“I believe that the risk associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which the TGA put at about one in 350,000, means that it is a very safe vaccine but there are inherent risks as with any medication,” he said.
“But I myself would be confident about taking it.”
When asked whether he would roll up his sleeves this week to combat public hesitation, Mr Cook said he was not eligible and wouldn’t jump the queue.
Dr Miller said he too would be prepared to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca but Australia had the benefit of time to since there hasn’t been a big COVID-19 outbreak yet.
“We would love to know the data on the number of people who’ve been vaccinated and where; we would love the whole thing to be a lot better organised than it is,” he said.
Aged care, disability workers scramble to source COVID-19 jabs
“What we need to do now is to get 1A finished by dragging them all into state-run centres as quickly as possible, we need to support general practice and get on the front foot and equip GPs to give Pfizer and equip them with whatever freezer they need.
“And get us some Novavax, get us some Moderna; all of these things we should have done already.”
Dr Miller has also called for general practice staff to be included in the 1A phase of the rollout and for indemnity to be extended beyond the manufacturers to those advising on vaccines, like nurses and GPs.
“The government needs to get rid of those legal worries and these blood clot issues are a classic example of why that would be necessary, so that we can reduce the confusion and get it out as quickly as possible,” Dr Miller said.
He said the public struggled to trust governments because “they twist the facts all the time to represent themselves as never having done anything wrong”.
“If they think that we’re trying to sell it, to advertise it, to put lipstick on a pig, on a vaccine that could cause a problem then that’s when you lose everybody’s trust,” Dr Miller said.
He said people trusted their GPs and “it would be better if no politician were involved in any of this and it was just the [Australian] Centre for Disease Control rolling it out at arm’s length”.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Here are the main coronavirus vaccines and when, or if, Australians will get them
Posted 9h

Got a COVID vaccine question? Ask our experts.( AP: Peter Hamlin )
Got a question about coronavirus vaccines?
Associate professor Hassan Vally from La Trobe University and the ABC's national medical reporter Sophie Scott will be answering questions in the COVID blog from 11:00am AEST.
To bring you up to speed, here's a rundown of common COVID vaccines and where they fit into Australia's vaccination rollout.
Click on a link below to jump to that vaccine.
Pfizer
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? Yes. Australia has used the Pfizer vaccine since February 2021 as part of its coronavirus vaccination rollout.
How many doses do we have? The Australian government initially secured 20 million doses of Pfizer, enough to vaccinate 10 million people.
A further 20 million doses were secured in April after the federal government overhauled its COVID-19 vaccination plans.
That second batch of doses is due to arrive in the second half of 2021.
Australia's population is estimated to be more than 25.5 million people.
Where else uses it? Pfizer has been part of the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout in many countries including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and New Zealand.
What else do I need to know?

• Pfizer is given in two doses, at least 21 days apart
• It is the recommended vaccination for Australians under the age of 50
• It is an mRNA-based formula
• It has been shown to be 95 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19
• It can be kept at normal freezer temperatures for up to two weeks during transport and at regular fridge temperatures for up to five days

AstraZeneca
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? Yes, AstraZeneca has been used in Australia since March 2021.
How many doses do we have? Australia secured 53.8 million doses of AstraZeneca, enough to vaccinate about 26.9 million people.
50 million of those doses were due to be made at medical giant CSL's facility in Melbourne.
Part of Australia's AstraZeneca supply has been sent to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
Does it cause blood clots? AstraZeneca has been linked to a rare blood disorder that causes blood clots, known as thrombosis.
Medical experts say the risk of blood clots from AstraZeneca should be weighed against a person's risk of complications from COVID-19 due to health or increasing age.
Who can take AstraZeneca? Australians over the age of 50 are able to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Australians under the age of 50 are recommended to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Where else uses it? AstraZeneca has been part of the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout in many countries including the UK, South Korea, India, France and Canada.
South Africa halted its AstraZeneca rollout in February after it was found to have "limited" success against the B.1.351 variant, known as the South African variant.
Advice about who should take AstraZeneca varies from country to country.
What else do I need to know?

• AstraZeneca is given in two doses, at least 12 weeks apart
• It has also been called the Oxford vaccine
• It is built with adenoviruses, a type of viral vector vaccine
• It appears to be between 62 to 90 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19

Johnson & Johnson
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? No, Australia has no plans to buy the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Where else uses it? South Africa and the United States were using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine but have now halted their rollouts.
Why have countries stopped using it? The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been linked to cases of the same rare blood clotting disorder as AstraZeneca.
Both Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are built with adenoviruses, a type of viral vector vaccine.
Who makes it? Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is owned by multinational corporation Johnson & Johnson.
What else do I need to know?

• Johnson & Johnson can be given as a single dose
• It is easier to manufacture than mRNA-based formulas like Pfizer and Moderna
• More than 7.2 million people have received it in the US
• There have been cases of blood clots reported in six women in the US

Novavax
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? Yes, Australia has ordered a supply of Novavax but the vaccine is still in clinical trials.
Novavax will need to be proven to be safe and effective and approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration before it is rolled out in Australia.
How much have we ordered? The Australian government expects 51 million doses will be made available in Australia in 2021.
Where is it made? Novavax doses set for Australia will be manufactured in several locations across Europe.
Where else uses it? Novavax is currently undergoing clinical trials in the UK, US, Mexico and South Africa.
It has also undergone phase 1/2 clinical trials in Australia.
What else do I need to know?

• Novavax is given in two doses
• A large clinical trial in the UK found it to have an efficacy rate of 89.3 per cent
• A smaller trial in South Africa, where the B.1.351 variant is circulating, found it had an efficacy rate of only 49.4 per cent

Moderna
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? No. Australia does not currently have any Moderna vaccines on order, but the Government says it remains on the table as an option.
Where is it used? France, Singapore, the UK and the US.
What else do I need to know?

• Moderna is given in two doses, at least 28 days apart
• It appears to be 94.1 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19
• It is an mRNA-based formula like Pfizer
• When developing its vaccine strategy, the Australian government picked Pfizer over Moderna

Sinovac
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? No. Sinovac is one of China's two locally made COVID-19 vaccines, but Australia has no plans to purchase either for use here.
Experts have told the ABC that the Chinese-developed formula has received less transparent scientific scrutiny than other vaccines.
Where is it used? China uses Sinovac locally, and also exports it around the world to countries including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Fiji and much of South America.
What else do I need to know?

• China has conceded that its vaccines "don't have very high protection rates"
• China has floated the possibility of mixing and matching doses with an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer of Moderna

Sputnik V
Is it in Australia's vaccine plan? No.
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine was first approved in the country in August last year, but Australian officials have expressed scepticism.
At the time of its approval, Australian officials branded the decision to skip large scientific trials as "reckless".
Where is it used? The Russian-made vaccine is used in Russia and exported to large parts of Africa, Asia and South America.
What else do I need to know?

• Sputnik V is given in two doses, 21 days apart
• It is a viral vector vaccine like AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson
• The Australian government says it has no plans to purchase more viral vector vaccines
• It is claimed to have an efficacy rate of over 91 per cent

 

[Hypocrite-The]

We put your questions about coronavirus vaccines to health experts — here's what they said
Posted 2h
A needle balanced on a vial of the AstraZeneca vaccine
We put your questions about the vaccine rollout to the experts.( Reuters: Dado Ruvic )
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Australia's vaccine rollout has hit a few speed bumps, and many of us are still unsure when exactly we'll get the vaccine.

Add in reports of incredibly rare dangerous blood clots linked to vaccines, and it's understandable that Australians have a lot of questions.

We put your questions to ABC medical reporter Sophie Scott and epidemiologist Hassan Vally, from Latrobe University, in a live blog earlier today.

Here are five of the best questions, and their answers:

The pill and blood clots
My understanding is the contraceptive pill has a much higher blood-clotting risk than the vaccine, so how is it allowed to be prescribed if we are recommended to not take the AZ [AstraZeneca] vaccine under 50?

Sophie Scott: You are correct that there are medications such as the contraceptive pill that can cause blood clots.

But from a risk point of view, comparing the two (the AstraZeneca vaccine and the combined contraceptive pill) is problematic.

A full packet of contraceptive pills on a wooden board.
Some contraceptive pills increase your risk of clotting.( Pixabay: GabiSanda: CC0 )
You are more likely to get a blood clot from the combined contraceptive pill.

Whereas your risk of getting the clotting disorder from the AZ vaccine is around 4 in 1 million.

But it's the fatality rate that really differs.

With the combined oral contraceptive pill, your risk of dying from a blood clot has been estimated to be around 3 per cent.

But the fatality rate from people who develop the rare clotting disorder after getting the AZ vaccine is estimated to be around 25 per cent.

The reasons the death rates differ so much is that the clots formed by the vaccine are believed to be an immune response to the vaccine, and is not the same process in the body that can cause other more common clots like deep vein thrombosis.

The 1st dose and the 2nd dose
If I have received my first dose of the AZ vaccine should I get my second dose? I have a medical condition that places me at a higher risk of having a stroke and am now a bit concerned about proceeding with the second dose.

Professor Vally: All of the available evidence suggests that those who have the extremely rare blood-clotting disorder develop this after the first dose of the vaccine, and so you should not hesitate to have the second dose of the AZ vaccine.

A person receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in Melbourne
People who did not react to their first AstraZeneca dose are being encouraged to get their second.( ABC News: Patrick Rocca )
Having said this, it is important to understand that the blood-clotting disorder associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine is a unique syndrome that is specifically associated with the vaccine and seems to have a mechanism that is quite distinct from other clotting disorders, and so it is unlikely that the presence of other types of clotting disorders may increase your risk of this syndrome.

Can we mix and match?
Can under-50s who have one dose of AstraZeneca choose to have Pfizer for the second? Germany has recommended it and I hope Australia will let us do it. Australia seems to be one step behind Europe on vaccine safety.

Professor Vally: Currently this approach is not backed up by any scientific evidence, and given that all of the available evidence suggests that if you are going to develop this extremely rare clotting disorder following the AstraZeneca vaccine you will develop it after the first dose, it is interesting that the German authorities have decided to give individuals under 60 who have received their initial dose of the AZ vaccine a different product for their second dose.

This highlights the uncertainty and confusion around this issue.

No doubt we will learn more over the coming weeks and months about this syndrome, which will inform how we mitigate the risk of it occurring.

Australians have a lot of questions about blood clots
Should I avoid getting AstraZeneca if I have or have had a blood disorder?

Professor Vally: All questions regarding how the vaccine may impact on your health should involve a discussion with your GP.

Also, it needs to be understood that since there are so few cases of this clotting disorder, we do not have a complete understanding of it and what the risk factors are.

Having said this, it is important to understand that the blood-clotting disorder associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine is a unique syndrome that is specifically associated with the vaccine and seems to have a mechanism that is quite distinct from other clotting disorders.

So it is unlikely that the presence of other types of clotting disorder may increase your risk of what is being called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTP) or vaccine-induced prothombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT)

Autoimmune issues and the vaccine
Why is age the only thing looked at in deciding who can safely get AZ? What about people with autoimmune? They're more likely to have a flare up, whatever their age. In some folks, that is a risk of clot.

Professor Vally: The reason for the focus on age is the simple fact that the limited evidence we have on this clotting syndrome suggests it is slightly more common, though still extremely rare, in those that are younger.

No other risk factor has been detected, albeit having such a small number of cases to analyse makes this analysis problematic.

There is no relationship that has been found with autoimmune disease and the development of this rare clotting syndrome and although it is hard to comment specifically — as there are numerous different autoimmune diseases, and so your situation needs to be assessed with your GP — if anything, the presence of an autoimmune disease may increase your susceptibility to more severe illness from a COVID infection.

Posted 2h

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Authorities investigating death of woman who developed blood clots after COVID vaccine
Posted 21m
A person receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in Melbourne
It is not known which vaccine the woman received.( ABC News: Patrick Rocca )
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Federal health authorities are investigating the death of a 48-year-old diabetic New South Wales woman who developed blood clots after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

The ABC has been told preliminary tests did not find a conclusive link to the vaccination.

But more tests are needed to confirm what role, if any, the vaccine had in her death.

It is not known which vaccine she received.

In a statement, a NSW Health Department spokesperson said the department would not speculate on or discuss individual cases, but offered condolences to the family of the woman who died.

"The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is responsible for regulating and monitoring the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia," the spokesperson said.

"Monitoring involves detecting and responding to any emerging safety concerns related to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly any adverse events following immunisation."

The spokesperson said NSW Health was notified whenever a serious or unexpected adverse event occurred.

"NSW Health investigates these events and refers its expert panel findings to the TGA, which is responsible for assessing causality," they said.

They noted that many "conditions" could arise during normal life, regardless of receiving a vaccine, but that it was important for anyone worried they were experiencing an adverse effect after a vaccination to contact their doctor.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is no longer recommended for people under the age of 50, due the extremely small risk of blood clots.

The government announced last week it was changing its advice so that Pfizer would now be the recommended vaccine for anyone under 50.

It has also secured an extra 20 million doses of Pfizer, which are due to arrive in the last quarter of this year.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison scrapped the government's vaccination targets after making the decision to limit the use of the AstraZeneca product.

More to come.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

The point the vaccine sellers are making is higher chance to die of the Kung Flu than to die of the AssTra Vaccine.... Hey Boss Sam...is tat true?