Covid Vaccine Distribution

[RetireBy90]

Anybody hearing about trials for a 3rd dose of Moderna to cover the South African variant?
Heard about it from a doctor friend and I want to figure out how to volunteer for the trail since I have had 2 doses of Moderna.

Related this morning, just reading Pfizer has started a study of a vaccine targeting new variants. It will target 144 subjects from original study with a 3rd shot. News release at: https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-r...iontech-initiate-study-part-broad-development


Sounds like Pfizer and Moderna both have booster to target new variants now. Guess it is a question of how much the virus mutates compared to the changes to the vaccine. Perhaps they will find a target for vaccine that doesn't mutate ? Maybe they find something they can target that doesn't mutate ?

 

[Ronstar]

Among the many "bottom" rankings that Illinois has - Illinois is last in number of people per 100,000 who have received 2nd dose of vaccine.

Just read that our county is in Phase 1b (65+, essential workers) of 4 phases. Phase 1b has 10,000-15,000 people, and the county is receiving about 300 doses per week. This is going to take a while.

 

[harllee]

Article in NY Times reports that Covid deaths in nursing homes are plummeting (down 60-80%) due to the vaccines, excellent news

 

[Gumby]

I read an article recently that claimed the sudden drop in cases is due to the time lapse since all the late December travel. Everyone who got COVID from traveling has either died or recovered.

But we still have Spring Break, Passover and Easter to look forward to. Even with the vaccine, I expect a surge to result from those events.

 

[audreyh1]

I read an article recently that claimed the sudden drop in cases is due to the time lapse since all the late December travel. Everyone who got COVID from traveling has either died or recovered.

Oh sure, getting away from the holiday season gatherings and travel, and people back to regular precautions, cases have dropped. And very dramatically so! At some point vaccinations will also start to drive it down. I’m hoping we don’t stall out for a while, or worse start to rise again.

Unfortunately, Covid deaths haven’t dropped. There was a very brief dip, but then it popped right back up!

 

[audreyh1]

I'm sure that is a big part of it. Many stayed home, like we did but many traveled for the holidays. As Dr Gottlieb said, it was baked in from early Jan. Just waiting for the delays. Exposure started late Dec to Early Jan, delay of couple weeks for it to incubate and spread again, then delay of couple weeks from infection to hospital to resolution brings to Feb.



March is a slow and long month, and April should bring warmer temps with more outside that should bring a pause in the winter transmissions, I hope.

There is a pretty dramatic increase from early November. I can only assume the cooler weather drove it since it was too early for Halloween effects. Then the holiday season (starting with Thanksgiving) hit and bam!

 

[Mark1]

...At some point vaccinations will also start to drive it down...

I have been tracking the doses delivered on the CDC website for the past several weeks and it looks the number of doses is finally increasing significantly (up to 88.7 million).
Also, our county is doing vaccinations out of the local convention center and yesterday when I drove by the number of people getting shots seems to have exploded.

I think we will probably catch it and turn it before an Easter surge.

 

[ivinsfan]

Oh sure, getting away from the holiday season gatherings and travel, and people back to regular precautions, cases have dropped. And very dramatically so! At some point vaccinations will also start to drive it down. I’m hoping we don’t stall out for a while, or worse start to rise again.

Unfortunately, Covid deaths haven’t dropped. There was a very brief dip, but then it popped right back up!

Since mid Feb the 7 days average for deaths is trending hard to the downside. Let's hope it continues..I look at the WP chart as it's not behind the paywall.

It's still way too high but looking improved. Our national cases per 100K is dropping sharply as well.

 

[audreyh1]

Since mid Feb the 7 days average for deaths is trending hard to the downside. Let's hope it continues..I look at the WP chart as it's not behind the paywall.

It's still way too high but looking improved. Our national cases per 100K is dropping sharply as well.

It had dropped from the Jan peaks, but the 7 day average deaths has picked back up.
Chart is near bottom of page. No firewall AFAIK. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html

 

[RetireBy90]

Oh sure, getting away from the holiday season gatherings and travel, and people back to regular precautions, cases have dropped. And very dramatically so! At some point vaccinations will also start to drive it down. I’m hoping we don’t stall out for a while, or worse start to rise again.

Unfortunately, Covid deaths haven’t dropped. There was a very brief dip, but then it popped right back up!

CDC site says it has dropped from about 3,000 per day to about 2,000. 1/3 drop.

 

[ivinsfan]

CDC site says it has dropped from about 3,000 per day to about 2,000. 1/3 drop.

That's what I'm seeing as well, the daily counts and the 7 average is dropping not rising. NYT is firewalled for me. We need to think long range anyway, as a 3 day weekend like Presidents Day can artificially lower the 7 day average. After a whole year looking at one week can be deceiving. I've been faked out many times over the way this virus is behaving.

The cases per day number is very encouraging. It's pretty bad when the highlight of your day is checking your state's CV website to look at the new case numbers. Let's all pray we will soon beat this thing into submission.

 

[Chuckanut]

Just read that our county is in Phase 1b (65+, essential workers) of 4 phases. Phase 1b has 10,000-15,000 people, and the county is receiving about 300 doses per week. This is going to take a while.

Maybe they have to vaccinate all the Illinois politicians who are in prison before they can get to the general populace?

In my county the 14 day average of new cases has gone from about 620 a day to about 170 a day. Quite a big drop. But, our low point was 50 a day. So we still need another huge percentage drop to get back to there. But, while people here take masks, SDing, etc. very seriously, they are also ready to get back to a more normal life. IMO, we will need the vaccine to get to 50 and below.

 

[MissMolly]

I am finally scheduled for my first dose on Saturday!

 

[braumeister]

DW and I got our second dose of Moderna yesterday. Slight soreness in that shoulder after a few hours, and a bit of swelling this morning, but no significant reaction otherwise.

Most of our friends have either had at least their first one or have an appointment, so it seems to be going very well here. Our state has done a great job with the distribution.

 

[explanade]

It had dropped from the Jan peaks, but the 7 day average deaths has picked back up.
Chart is near bottom of page. No firewall AFAIK. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html

Some doctors have said that we're in the eye of the hurricane, that infections will take off once the variants take hold.

They're advocating not reserving second doses and vaccinating as many people with the first dose as possible. Also approve the AZ vaccine now, just to boost supplies in the immediate term.

 

[FIYes]

Woohooo! I was able to get DH and myself scheduled for the vaccine this weekend. Finally feeling that there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

 

[athena53]

Access has been a real crapshoot in Missouri.

I was signed up on 7 lists, most of which I learned about through social networks or e-mails from potential providers (e.g. CVS) saying they'd let me know when vaccines were available. I have an appointment with the only one that actually contacted me, a medical center over an hour away. In the meantime...

Friends on FB have gotten e-mails about nearby vaccinations through the County and have gotten their first shots. I registered with the County January 4. They haven't contacted me.

CVS has apparently opened up vaccinations and friends have gone there. CVS has not contacted me.

One woman said her husband just called a nearby medical center and they gave him an appointment. You guessed it- I'm on their list and they haven't contacted me.

While it's possible that the others learned from some Giant Database in the Sky that I already have an appointment, I doubt it given how fragmented this process has been.

But hey, I'll get a nice chunk of mileage to write off as Medical expenses.

 

[ivinsfan]

Access has been a real crapshoot in Missouri.

I was signed up on 7 lists, most of which I learned about through social networks or e-mails from potential providers (e.g. CVS) saying they'd let me know when vaccines were available. I have an appointment with the only one that actually contacted me, a medical center over an hour away. In the meantime...

Friends on FB have gotten e-mails about nearby vaccinations through the County and have gotten their first shots. I registered with the County January 4. They haven't contacted me.

CVS has apparently opened up vaccinations and friends have gone there. CVS has not contacted me.

One woman said her husband just called a nearby medical center and they gave him an appointment. You guessed it- I'm on their list and they haven't contacted me.

While it's possible that the others learned from some Giant Database in the Sky that I already have an appointment, I doubt it given how fragmented this process has been.

But hey, I'll get a nice chunk of mileage to write off as Medical expenses.

Could this possibility be an age related thing? Even though I am eligible through the state guidelines some medical facilities are definitely sorting by age. My DH at 72 had a least 4 possible paths to vaccine. I had 2 and was lucky enough to go through Thrifty White Drug who used the more generous state guidelines and didn't care if you were 65 and one day or 80.

 

[athena53]

Could this possibility be an age related thing? Even though I am eligible through the state guidelines some medical facilities are definitely sorting by age. My DH at 72 had a least 4 possible paths to vaccine. I had 2 and was lucky enough to go through Thrifty White Drug who used the more generous state guidelines and didn't care if you were 65 and one day or 80.

That could be it- but I wish they'd explain that! I'm "only" 68 and healthy so may be near the bottom of my tier depending on the rules.

 

[harllee]

That could be it- but I wish they'd explain that! I'm "only" 68 and healthy so may be near the bottom of my tier depending on the rules.

I would just drive the hour to the appointment that you have and not worry about it anymore--that is what I did.

 

[ivinsfan]

That could be it- but I wish they'd explain that! I'm "only" 68 and healthy so may be near the bottom of my tier depending on the rules.

Nobody explains anything which just makes it a pain. My clinic never explained, they said we will contact you when it's your "turn". At 72 my DH got his "invite" this week so I figure I was still pretty far down the list. And the clinic mychart has no place to decline your spot and let it go to someone else. Pretty dumb way to operate.. What a relief to not be concerned about it anymore.

 

[athena53]

I would just drive the hour to the appointment that you have and not worry about it anymore--that is what I did.

That's my plan! Appointment is Saturday. A bird in the hand....

 

[harllee]

That's my plan! Appointment is Saturday. A bird in the hand....

Good luck and I hope they give you an appointment for your second vaccine while you are there. One tip--if you are a side sleeper get your shot on the opposite side. My arm was pretty sore and I could not sleep on the where I go the shot for a couple of nights.

 

[RockyMtn]

I was enrolled in the Johnson and Johnson trial but it was a two dose trial rather than one dose. Once Pfizer and Moderna became available the told us they would "unblind" us and let us know if we got the real thing or the placebo if we were able to schedule an appointment.

Well I was able to secure an appointment at the local Safeway on Feb 1. Called the trial folks. Got answering machine. Told them I got an appointment for a Moderna shot and I want to be unblinded. Asked them to call me back. No response. Called again two days later....again got answering machine and no return call

So I say "screw em" and get my Moderna shot on Saturday. Tuesday the trial people call to confirm an appointment and I tell them I have been trying to get a hold of them because I had an appointment for a Moderna shot and they never called me back. They were a bit ticked but then I asked them what they would have done if nobody called them back and they had been able to secure an appointment.

They said they would unblind me and call me back in ten minutes. They call back and I had gotten the J & J vaccine and not the placebo.

So now I have one J & J and one Moderna floating around in my blood. The study people tell me they still want me to come in for my next appointment which would have been for my second J & J shot but that they wouldn't give me the second because I had the Moderna shot. I said fine but why? Guess it has something to do with keeping people in the study or they don't get paid by the drug company. Fine by me..it takes like ten minutes and they pay me $125 each time I go in.

So I show up for appointment and they are about to give me the second J & J shot when I say whoa!!!!! Thought I wasn't getting another because I'm unblinded and got a Moderna shot. Nurses look at each other with blank stares

They come back in a couple of minutes, take my blood pressure, oxygen levels and give me my check an send me on my way.

Now I'm in for second Moderna shot and I tell the pharmacist what has happened so far and should I get the second Moderna shot. He laughs and says yes as J & J wasn't yet approved, Moderna takes two shots to be effective and they are different kinds of vaccines. So I get the second shot.

No reactions to any of the three shots except slightly sore arm. Guess I'm pretty well vaccinated for now.

 

[athena53]

Good luck and I hope they give you an appointment for your second vaccine while you are there.

Bless them, I already have one set up for 4 weeks later.

No reactions to any of the three shots except slightly sore arm. Guess I'm pretty well vaccinated for now.

Woo-hoo! Go out and party at the bars tonight!