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I’m getting some questions about COVID & vaccines, largely around dosing & new variants. I’ll offer some thoughts here, from a virologist’s perspective.
Using 1 dose of a vaccine, and providing a nod towards an unspecified date for a potential second dose is...
I’m getting some questions about COVID & vaccines, largely around dosing & new variants. I’ll offer some thoughts here, from a virologist’s perspective.
Using 1 dose of a vaccine, and providing a nod towards an unspecified date for a potential second dose is...
A failure in public health strategy & is a result of electing clowns into office. Having said that, there is the reality of our public health responsibilities, and limited supplies of vaccines mean that our strategy may necessarily be closer to that of...
Experimental field medicine than perfect clinical practise. I’m concerned about limited efficacy of 1-dose vaccination in high risk cohorts (aged, infirm) in comparison with the efficacy stated for 2 doses. We can criticise govt for this approach (and they certainly...
Deserve severe criticism for their handling of this pandemic) but if faced with the same conditions & a duty of care to citizens, I can understand a one-dose regime to enable greatest coverage in the high risk cohort. I don’t like it, but can understand it. If I was offered...
One dose and a vague nod towards some future booster or even a different vaccine, then I would take it. Regarding a mix and match approach, there is no formal evidence that this would work and deliver high titre, high duration neutralising responses in >95% of recipients, but...
We are in a less than perfect situation, and if the choice is between one dose of vaccine A only, or a second dose with vaccine B, I’d take the mix & match dosing. Having said that, the clowns responsible for a disjointed vaccination strategy should be held to account...
I’m also hearing a lot of talk about one dose vaccinations selecting mutants and so forth....
Mutations will arise in this virus, as the virus adapts to its new host species, and the possibility of vaccine escape mutants deserves a mention.
Mutations will arise in this virus, as the virus adapts to its new host species, and the possibility of vaccine escape mutants deserves a mention.
Vaccine escape mutants are known for many viruses, but thankfully they remain relatively uncommon. The strategy of targeting the SARS CoV2 spike protein, which contains functional and therefore very specific sequences means that this vaccine target..
Is a good choice, and the neutralising effect of the antibodies is likely to be strong. During the early stages of primary infection, the antibody titres will be low, but will increase rapidly, but even with only one dose, the antibodies should appear faster than in...
Non-vaccinated patients. During this time, with low levels of antibody, the virus will have some degree of pressure from the immune system, so new mutations specifically arising from one dose is a theoretical possibility...
But not a certainty and not a cause for anyone to panic and run around with their hair on fire. I am not panicking about new vaccine escape mutants just yet. Of note, the majority of column inches are given to antibody titre and many commentators often overlook the innate...
Response to viral infections, which is mediated by T-cells and uses cytokines and interferons to fight viral infections, providing a second arm of defence to viral infections, and this is also stimulated by vaccination.
I hope this provides some food for thought, and I’ll...
I hope this provides some food for thought, and I’ll...
Acknowledge that my virologist’s perspective is just that & I’m not an immunologist or an ICU physician, but I think its a reasonably balanced view of where we are & may be headed.
Btw, wear a mask, wash your hands & social distance, please.
And the mask goes over your nose...
Btw, wear a mask, wash your hands & social distance, please.
And the mask goes over your nose...
