Just the Facts, the Crown virus.

[doc henderson]

yes, we are swamped beyond capacity at work, and it cannot come soon enough!  

[WV Sawmiller]

   Well, I can confirm that as of 0815 Tuesday last my wife and I were negative for C-19. We and the 3 GDs got tested then. I have not seen their results yet but I would be very surprised if they had it since we have had them sine Monday last week. As of yesterday our son was still testing negative which also surprises me since his wife has it and he never walks out the door without kissing her goodbye.

[firefighter ontheside]

yes, we are swamped beyond capacity at work, and it cannot come soon enough!  

As much as I want the vaccine, I want you and your compatriots at hospitals to get it before me.  When this is all a memory, we should all have a little more respect and appreciation for the doctors and nurses
who dealt with it in the way they did.  

[Larry]

I was invited to Thanksgiving at a relatives house.  I knew there would be lots of people and that they do not mask up or practice social distancing.  I declined but my B-I-L went.  He does mask up most of the time and has been keeping to himself other than Thanksgiving.  Retiree like me.

He called and said he tested positive today.  Quarantined himself.  He did call the relatives and told them, but they said they all feel fine and don't need to be tested.  Probably out spreading covid around right now.

Glad I skipped Thanksgiving.

[thecfarm]

That is good Peter.
DbltreeBelgians you take care of yourself And all you others too!!!

[Roxie]

I completely agree that the health care people should get the first doses of the vaccine. My daughter-in -law is a nurse and I have been so concerned for her. 

Even though I would fall into the at risk elderly, I will not get a vaccine until my at risk grandchild and the front line workers (grocery online shoppers, convenience store and gas station workers, truckers, cable and utility workers, teachers, et al). 

It's far easier and less disruptive for me to continue to isolate. Heroes are everywhere and I will quote Mr Rogers, "when things are very bad, look for the helpers."

[kantuckid]

Two current articles r.e.,covid-19 are interesting and timely. One's the lead editorial in the NYT's today-it depicts where you are in the vaccine line based on your personal demographics after you plug them in. Age, location, etc..
Seems in my area of KY I am right after the front line folks, nursing homes and then me and some other old folks. Wheee!
Not that a hospital really near me is being shipped the vaccines though...Hmmmm?

The other is a 12/2 WSJ overview of the ~ 400 vaccines being developed worldwide and some basics about how other countries are implementing their vaccines. Several are down right scary as no clinical trials on humans yet throwing them out there!
If your puter skills are better than mine please link these articles, thanks.

[firefighter ontheside]

Oh yeah, while I want a vaccine and as fast as possible, I don't disagree with making sure its safe first.  China and Russia have approved vaccines for use already with little to no study.  Of course, Putin hasnt taken it yet.  Even the UK has approved the Pfizer vaccine with what appears to be little review.  

[doc henderson]

they do the studies on everyday citizens.  does not work that way here, and part of why things are harder and take longer in the USA.  Freedom is never free, and comes with great responsibility.

[Ianab]

Even the UK has approved the Pfizer vaccine with what appears to be little review.  

The phase 3 trials were conducted in several different countries, by several different research teams. Those studies are basically all the info that currently exists on the vaccine in the real world. So all a Govt approval agency can really do is review and double check the results. Unless they want to spend another 3 months and repeat the phase 3 trials? 

Otherwise it's probably verify the raw numbers with the various overseas research teams to make sure they are accurate, double check the maths and approve it.  Sitting on the info for another month isn't going to change it. I would imagine they already have reviewed and approved the scientific research behind the vaccine before they approved the Phase 3 testing. All they were waiting on was confirmation of the Phase 3 testing?

As for distributing it? Pfizer have already made millions of doses while completing the last tests and awaiting approval. But millions of doses have to spread pretty thin when you have billions of people. Just the logistics of getting it distributed is mind boggling as it's not just the US that has signed up for the program. I imagine it will be most of next year vaccinating enough people to really make a difference.

Until then, keep your head down and try not to catch it. 

[firefighter ontheside]

Yeah, I read an article where several nation's representatives were critical of the UK, but maybe they had the best approach.  They have apparently been reviewing data all along as it comes in from each stage of the study.  Kudos to them if they can get started safely before everyone else.

[doc henderson]

one could argue that we let the rest of the world test things, and then start up here if it works well.  that is the trouble with our culture, that anything that does not go well, deserves a malpractice lawsuit.

[kantuckid]

The WSJ article categorizes the 400 various types of covid vaccines begun in the world and graphs them as to if they're into the 3 clinical stages or at the beginning as is the case in China, Russia and a some others. 
I found it interesting but far over my head that some covid vaccines are the first ever of their design type to be used to create a vaccine. This is a very dynamic (if that's the best word?) time in science & health.  

[doc henderson]

not to be political, but it is unheard of to get treatments and vaccines moving so fast.  It is like when we have been so busy that people wait 3 hours, we finally get dug out of a hole, and we bring people back. and someone will complain about the wait, and we were just back there eating.  well breakfast at 7 am, you get a little hungry by 2 or 3 in the after noon.!    they act like they think we were back their having a party and making them wait.  it is a very few but gets your goat!  very busy.  so if you know about medicine, you know our country has done next to the impossible.

[donbj]

we finally get dug out of a hole, and we bring people back. and someone will complain about the wait, and we were just back there eating.

Thanks for what you do Doc! There are far too many "it's all about me" people in this world. If more had the same empathy and compassion like you and the majority of health professionals that would certainly go a long way.

[kantuckid]

Doc's "we finally caught a break in the ER story" reminds me of what a waste doctor/dentist reviews have become. 
Mostly they are a bitch & moan over some peevish non-event. The frenzy hospitals show even in my nearest to our rural area what with billboards showing active billboard clocks with the current wait times sets you guys up for->Immediate Satisfaction Expectations<-?  :
Hang tough, as they say.
People drive their cars the same way as they navigate retail stores in person or probably the same on the phone I suspect as an ER room. RIGHT NOW! is all I will accept! 
Then they run a red light, stop signs are rolling and gone and turning in front of others... 
That said, I have personally experienced several ER visits when it seemed they were trying really hard to kill me, let me die. Too long to tell those stories here. 
I'll throw this into that discussion: I wish medical professionals were more involved in the surveys I get after my medical visits! How the hell do I know if you guys wash your hands or sanitize stuff well? There is much more there about things I have no way to rate someone over as I lack that information or knowledge. 

 

[firefighter ontheside]

My test came back negative.  The results were in my healthcare portal at 10:12 last night.  Unfortunately I went to bed in the camper at 10:05 last night.  Oh well, just happy to have the camper to quarantine in.  It got down to 27 last night.  The heater and some good blankets kept me comfortable though.  Still, I'll  be happy to sleep in my bed tonight.

[Don P]

not to be political, but it is unheard of to get treatments and vaccines moving so fast.  

As much as politicos like to take credit for things like this or the internet, it is a tribute to the scientists, manufacturers, suppliers and transportation folks throughout the world. I believe Pfizers partner in this is a German based company with people in each working from a number of countries. Manufacturing in Belgium is going to the UK in their opening doses. Moderna is a small young company that has never produced anything with FDA approval but was doing research in MRNA drugs. Their manufacturing capability is way too small, they have partnered with a Swiss manufacturing company. I hope they can pull it off. As much as we have balked in the past, this is showing one of the upsides of globalization. Many people working to get the job done in very short order.

I heard this morning that blood samples in the US were showing Covid as early as Dec last year. It was apparently in circulation here also well before we knew it.

[doc henderson]

yes, sounds like it flew under the radar, and why not, it acts just like other flu/cold viruses with the occ. severe complication.  it just happens to have more serious and frequent problems but we would never know since most viruses are not identified.  since there is no specific treatment usually.  this pandemic may push research, and we may yet cure the common cold as well.  likely one of the vaccines will come out on top after a few years, and hopefully not due to the politics.

[Stephen1]

I heard this morning that blood samples in the US were showing Covid as early as Dec last year. It was apparently in circulation here also well before we knew it.

We as the general public didn't know, but you can bet powers to be knew something was amuck. My friend works in a lab in Toronto and they knew about the "new virus" then and were talking about it a christmas lunch we all were together at in December 2019.It was only casual talk, more so amongst the 3 that were trained in lab work. 

[kantuckid]

Having a "bug" that nobody knows what it is is not so novel? 
In 2006 I went backpacking in CO with a Kansas cousin, on return stopped in Silver Lake, KS one night, felt normal, then next day drove on home to KY, felt normal but not long after arrival at home I had a lethally high temperature which wife controlled then off to the local doc early Monday and then ordered into hospital for testing. After three days and over $$$ ten thousand $$$ of tests they still didn't know what I'd had. But it "went away" as my body dealt with whatever hit me. I've since decided it was a tick bite but first thought it was my water filter. 
Maybe it was corona virus 14 years ago? :

[Jeff]

Im convinced I had it last November. I left deer camp on opening day of season on the 15th, went home and missed my first gun deer season ever, was sick until mid december, then ended up in the er with stroke or seizure like symtoms that they never found an answer for. This resulted in my going to work for myself and losing over 100lbs.

[WV Sawmiller]

   My son called this morning to confirm his test came back positive. He is in lockdown till Saturday. We had the girls for 13 days and they dodged the bullet by being here when their mom first got the bug. Yesterday they went to stay with their mom's parents. They have not seen them in months because their other grandfather is high risk. Since they were tested Tuesday and found negative and been in isolation here they figured it was safe for them to go there now. I am sure they will have a great time. No I just have to figure out how to save or use up the stockpile of Mac & Cheese, chocolate milk, chocolate Ice cream, hot dogs, and a years supply of instant mashed taters which the youngest one eats like they were candy or something.

[Don P]

I'm sure you need some wind down time with a big bowl of ice cream and a glass of milk. I'm not sure the rest of that has a shelf life  :D. It's good they get to visit with the other Grands. Hope everyone recovers soon.

[Ianab]

Interesting article about how long it actually took to develop the Moderna vaccine. 

We Had the COVID-19 Vaccine the Whole Time

The RNA sequence of the virus had been released by  Chinese scientist, who temporarily got some strife for doing so, and the new vaccine was designed over the weekend, before the US even had a confirmed case. Before the first reported US death the vaccine had been manufactured and testing started. The real "Warp Speed" has been since then to get the testing and approval done quickly, compared to the usual years. The extra funding has allowed that, and production to be ramped up before approval has come through. But it didn't actually create the vaccine, that had already been done.

The interesting bit is that the research on the vaccine method had already been completed. It was basically a template for a vaccine, that just needed to be encoded with the right proteins and it was ready to go. Sort of like a cure waiting for a disease?