[SmartCat]

Definitely smells like there is an "oblique pecuniary motive" (had to look up the dictionary) as Serum Institute says. This part is especially suspicious:

The participant has also demanded, via the legal notice, that the vaccine trial be immediately halted.

There are a number of extortion rackets led by shady law firms these days. Notice is sent to companies just before a major events like merger/acquisition etc. Many firms just pay up. Last known such extortion case was at Indiabulls:

PIL against Indiabulls part of wider extortion racket, says Ajit Mittal
https://www.cnbctv18.com/finance/pil...al-5403601.htm

Managium Juris admitted to filing ‘false & factually incorrect complaints’ against Indiabulls
https://theprint.in/economy/how-a-la...-a-day/277043/

[Thermodynamics]

Not sure how strong this case could be when he has “Volunteered” in the first place. It is up to DCGI to examine and approve.

However, per my sources who do research in relevant fields, none of the vaccines are effective in reality. They say, we have at least 26 strains of COVID-19 worldwide and any vaccine is effective for 1 or max 2 strands only. Plus most of them are in beta testing so side effects cannot be avoided.

[partha379]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Definitely smells like there is an "oblique pecuniary motive" (had to look up the dictionary) as Serum Institute says. This part is especially suspicious:

https://theprint.in/economy/how-a-la...-a-day/277043/

So there is the aspect of motive which needs to be/will be looked at. But what for me is more worrying is that was the trial put on hold while the investigation and treatment was happening? I remember reading about trial stops for adverse reactions in other countries for the same vaccine, but don't remember reading it for this incident. If it was stopped, investigated and then carried on - great, otherwise thats the aspect that scares the hell out of me.

[RSR]

I seriously hope people who volunteer themselves for vaccine trials know exactly what they're signing up for.

Vaccines are very, very different from medicines / drugs / treatments!

The latter are meant to cure, the former are supposed to prevent! Medicines are given to those who are sick & ill, vaccines are given to those who are perfectly healthy!

In a trial for a potential new drug or treatment, it's easy to identify potential volunteers - those who are suffering from a disease/condition and who aren't responding to known/existing drugs/treatments. There's no harm in volunteering for a new drug or treatment when one's illness is not getting cured with the existing medicines. Of course, this still carries a fair/high amount of risk, as the potential side effects of the new drug remain unknown until it has been tested very widely.

A vaccine on the other hand, is meant for the healthy, not the ones who are ill. As such, potential volunteers for this are not easy to identify. So, people have to come forward by themselves and sign up for it.

Sometimes, some get caught violating all ethical, legal & professional norms when they deliberately carry out vaccine trials on poor, unsuspecting people who aren't aware of their rights. One (in)famous example in India in recent times is this one here.

Thanks to mainstream media outlets across the world constantly bombarding people with stuff proclaiming vaccines to be some kind of miracle from the heavens, many people don't know and aren't even aware of what a vaccine actually is, or how it is meant to work, or even that vaccines can & do have side effects / reactions.

I hope people are made completely aware before they sign up as volunteers for a vaccine trial. Complete awareness just doesn't come from reading a consent form before signing it.

[fordday]

This is getting scary.

Central govt rejects volunteer's claim of the adverse event from the vaccine trials link

The govt with all their positive hope peddling are now in a point of no return. Even if they know the vaccine can have serious effects, they cannot stop.

And Serum Institute riding on govt support tries to browbeat the volunteer's claim.

The statements of the volunteer's family may not be coherent which can be acceptable because this is not an everyday event. But it seems the adverse event did occur and all the responsible authorities didn't utter a word till the volunteer came to the media.

[RSR]

It's not often that I speak some words of praise for someone in the government or associated with the government, but I'm quite glad to do so in this case.

In an environment where the mainstream media in almost every country is involved in creating some kind of mass hysteria about COVID-19 vaccines, it does come as a huge breath of fresh air to hear someone speak some sense!

At a media briefing on Tuesday, Bhushan said there was never a talk about inoculating the whole population with Covid vaccine, a critical mass of people will be vaccinated to break transmission.

"I just want to make this clear that the govt has never spoken about vaccinating the entire country. It's important that we discuss such scientific issues, based on factual information only," Bhushan said when asked about how much time it will take to vaccinate the entire country.

"Vaccination would depend on the efficacy of the vaccine and our purpose is to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission. If we're able to vaccinate critical mass of people and break virus transmission, then we may not have to vaccinate the entire population," said ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava.

Full article

Kudos to Mr. Bhushan and Dr. Bhargava for speaking some sensible things in an understandable manner while interacting with the mainstream media.

I hope that at least from now, the mainstream media does not resort to sensationalising stuff related to vaccine delivery.

The way the mainstream media were reporting it, it seemed as if once the initial batches of vaccine are ready for use, the masses would all queue up and start fighting with each other to get ahead in the queue, influential (but low risk) people would divert it for their own use, those who don't manage to get it in the initial phase would be left to face the wrath of the coronavirus et cetera et cetera.

Even the (PRC-installed) head of the WHO (who's not a doctor by the way - the only WHO chief who's not one) believes that "a vaccine is not enough to end the pandemic". Despite Tedros' acts of omission & commission related to the pandemic so far, this statement of his makes a lot of sense, actually:

"A vaccine will complement the other tools we have, not replace them," director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "A vaccine on its own will not end the pandemic."

Full article

[ruzbehxyz]

BBC news - 02nd Dec. 2020.

Covid-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine approved for use in UK.

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination.

Britain's medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out.

The first 800,000 doses will be available in the UK from next week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is the fastest vaccine to go from concept to reality, taking only 10 months to follow the same steps that normally span 10 years.

The UK has already ordered 40 million doses of the free jab - enough to vaccinate 20 million people.

But the bulk of the rollout will be next year, he added. "2020 has been just awful and 2021 is going to be better," said Mr Hancock.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55145696

[sgiitk]

In fact UK has overtaken US.

We cannot hope for Pfizer here. The -70C makes it irrelevant. All candidates we have are with more normal temperatures. I frankly hope Sputnik V which has a 94% efficacy hakes it. Due to totally different protocols we need stage I, II and III trials.

[ruzbehxyz]

Source: Mirror Now.

[RSR]

I wonder if it's possible to use Pfizer's vaccine on a mass scale successfully in India, given its requirement of storage and transport at -70°C?

In a country like India, even a requirement of storage & transport at regular refridgerated temperatures of 2°C ~ 7°C may prove to be a challenge for a mass vaccination program, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.

As he has proven on more than one occassion since the start of the pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson does care about respecting the rights of individuals and civil liberties of citizens (just like President Donald Trump), so a coercive (or worse, a forced) mass vaccination campaign can be ruled out as far as the United Kingdom is concerned.

Given such a scenario, it would be very interesting to see the percentage of Brits who voluntarily come forward and get vaccinated with Pfizer's shot.

Any rushed vaccine researched and developed in a tearing hurry should always raise at least a few concerns among those who understand how vaccination works. The Brit mainstream media is simply untrustworthy (just like their counterparts in other countries), so I'll be keeping an eye on first hand reports about potential reactions in those that do get vaccinated with Pfizer's shot in the UK.

[RSR]

Why am I not surprised to see this? Given how the mainstream media have been deliberately drumming into people's minds that a vaccine, any vaccine, is like a miracle that drops from the heavens to save people from the Chinese coronavirus, this was only to be expected!

Vaccine tourism packages to the UK

:

Many Indians Keen On Going To UK To Get Covid Vaccine: Travel Agents

New Delhi: Travel agents have started receiving enquiries from Indians who want to travel to the UK as soon as possible to get the COVID-19 vaccine that was approved on Wednesday by the British government.

One travel agent is planning to launch a three-night package for the Indians who want to get the benefit of the mass vaccination drive in the UK that is likely to begin as early as next week.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, not everyone wants to be an early bird:

However, Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) told PTI that people are right now "waiting and watching" as they want to know what the vaccine is going to be like.

"Though the government has said there would be no side effects of the vaccine, people want to watch all this before getting the shot," Mr Mayal noted.

Full article

-------------------------------------------------

Then, there is this news that may come as a shock to many, but doesn't surprise me in the least.

Pfizer's vaccine and pregnant women

:

Pregnant women told not to get Pfizer coronavirus vaccine because risks still unknown

Pregnant women or women planning a pregnancy should not receive a coronavirus vaccine because any potential risks are still unknown, new guidance says.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) updated its advice on priority groups for vaccination after the UK approved Pfizer's jab for emergency use on Wednesday.

The JCVI recommended pregnant women not come forward to receive the jab, writing: "There are no data as yet on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy, either from human or animal studies

Full article

[RSR]

We have at least one head of state/government in this world who is not afraid to tell his people that they should make their own choices and be responsible for their own actions:

Don't blame me if there are consequences or side effects of coronavirus vaccines, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday.

Video

As Brazil happens to be one of the worst affected countries with the second highest number of deaths worldwide, one can imagine how hot the situation surrounding vaccines would be.

One governor, João Doria of São Paulo State, wants to take the draconian step of making coronavirus vaccines compulsory, but thankfully(!) he faces massive resistance from the public and from President Bolsonaro {São Paulo also happens to be the place where a vaccine volunteer died after receiving a Chinese vaccine during a trial}. São Paulistas even took to the streets to protest against the planned draconian move:

More than 300 Brazilians have gathered in Sao Paulo to protest against a plan for mandatory coronavirus immunisations and the ongoing testing of a potential vaccine developed by China's Sinovac.

One demonstrator held a sign saying: "We are not guinea pigs", while another wore a yellow mask with the words "no vaccine".

State Governor Joao Doria is in favour of making COVID-19 immunisations compulsory, once vaccines are available.

It puts him at odds with Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro who says any such measures in the country should be optional.

Full article

President Bolsonaro is, of course, doing the right thing, by advocating that any vaccine should be taken voluntarily. When pharmaceutical companies that develop coronavirus vaccines are being given legal immunity on demand, it does happen to raise some serious questions.

Coronavirus vaccine: Pfizer given protection from legal action by UK government

Pfizer’s UK boss refuses to explain why the business needs protection from legal action

The UK government has granted pharmaceutical giant Pfizer a legal indemnity protecting it from being sued, enabling its coronavirus vaccine to be rolled out across the country as early as next week.
.
.
.

The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed an indemnity was in place for Pfizer and added that the government would be adding the coronavirus vaccine to the list of vaccinations covered by the Vaccine Damages Payments Act.

This pays out a one-off £120,000 payment to people who are permanently disabled or harmed as a result of a listed vaccination.

Full article

[dragracer567]

A couple of data on which countries are purchasing what vaccines. Most of the following data is from a research center of Duke University in North Carolina (you can find the updated data here - link)

1) These are the overall vaccine orders. India has the second largest no. of orders after the EU and the third highest including potential purchases.



2) Confirmed doses by country and also the types of vaccines ordered by different countries.



3) No. of doses (+ potential purchases per capita). Do note that India's number of doses is more than 1 but most vaccine candidates require two doses. This infographic is from Nature magazine.



4) Tabulation of % of population which can be vaccinated from the purchases in relation to the no. of COVID cases in the country.



5) Vaccine purchases by income status of the country. Its higher for lower middle income than upper middle income is because of India's purchases (which comes under lower middle income).



One interesting exception is China for which no data exists I guess.

[fordday]

Now that two types of vaccines are given go ahead by GoI, what is the opinion of the learned people here? I am also caught up in the hue and cry of the vaccine approval process.

SII vaccine is reported to be tested in 800-1000 people in phase 3 trials.
Bharat biotech vaccine is starting phase 3 trials on 22000 people.
Govt regulator approving both claiming these are 110% safe.

These are too much for a layman

Please help clear the clutter.

[itwasntme]

Lucid article:

https://www.financialexpress.com/lif...cowin/2163121/

Who will get the vaccine first
Healthcare workers
According to the recommendations of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) one crore health workers working with both government and private hospitals will be first in the line to be inoculated.

The priority group has been further divided into sub-categories as frontline workers, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers, nurses and supervisors, paramedical staff, medical officers, support staff and medical students.

All the data has been collected from the health care facilities and is being uploaded into Co-WIN, the digitalized platform to be used to effectively roll out and scale up the mechanism for Covid Vaccine Distribution System.

Frontline workers
Two crore frontline workers employed with central and state Police services, armed forces, civil defence organisation, disaster management, home guard, prison staff, municipal workers, revenue officials working with Covid-19 surveillance and other associated activities.

Workers associated with state government and ministries of defence, urban affairs, housing will also receive the vaccination in the first phase

People aged above 50 years
This group will be further divided in people above the age group pf 60 years and people above the age of 50 years with co-morbidities. Latest electoral roll of Assembly or Lok Sabha elections will be used as a reference to identify population for immunisation.

Age will be calculated based on the cut off date of 1st January 2021 and anyone born on or before 1st January 1971 will fall under this category.

Areas recording high Covid-19 infection rate
States and UTs at their discretion can do priority phasing of vaccine roll out in geographical areas where the infection is high.

Remaining population
Population below 50 years of age with associated comorbidities based on the evolving pandemic situation like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, lung diseases etc and finally to the remaining population based on the disease epidemiology and vaccine availability.

How to register for vaccination at session site
Common Service centres need to be utilized for self-registration and identity certification of the general population. Self-registration module will be made available in the later phases of implementation.

Individuals can select the method of authentication from the following methods
Biometric: With this demographic details of the individual from name to a permanent address in Aadhaar card will autofill the platform.

OTP Authentication: An OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number with an Aadhaar card. If the OTP authentication is successful, demographic details of the individual as per the Aadhaar will auto-populate.

Demographic Authentication: An individual can also enter all demographic details manually i.e. Name, DoB, gender and select Demo Authentication. A green tick will appear confirming the same.
An individual interested to register will be required to provide photo identity from one of the following:

· Aadhaar Card;

· Driving License;

· Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour;

· MNREGA Job Card;

· Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs;

· PAN Card;

· Passbook issued by Bank/Post Office;

· Passport;

· Pension Document;

· Service Identity Card issued to employees by Central/State Govt./PSUs/ Public Limited Companies;

· Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR;

· Voter ID

Photo identity can either be uploaded on Co-WIN system (in PDF, JPG or PNG file formats) or can be pulled from the existing Digi Locker account of the individual

Once registered, date and time will be allocated for vaccination. There will be no spot registration facility and only pre-registered beneficiaries will be allowed to proceed with vaccination.

District Collector (DC)/District Magistrate (DM) with support of District Immunization Officer will link the sessions sites, vaccinators, supervisors and beneficiaries and decide the dates and time for conducting the vaccination session. Respective district administration will approve the beneficiaries for session and site allocation. Co-WIN has inbuilt monitoring and reporting mechanism.

How the sessions have been planned
An ideal session site should have three demarcated rooms/areas:

1. Waiting Room/Area;

2. Vaccination Room; and

3. Observation Room

How the Vaccination Team has been arranged
Every session will be managed by a 5 membered team with defined responsibilities:

Vaccination Officer-1: In-charge for pre-checking registration status of beneficiary and photo ID verification before entering the waiting room/area. Vaccination Officer-1 will be assisting in making queues/ crowd management

Vaccination Officer 2: In-charge of authenticating/ verify document in the Co-WIN system (Health / ICDS / other government departments e.g. election model)

Vaccinator Officer: In-charge of vaccinating the beneficiaries (Doctors (MBBS / BDS/AYUSH), Staff Nurse, Pharmacist, ANM, LHV).

Vaccination Officer 3 and 4: In-charge of crowd management, ensuring 30-minute wait, monitoring for any AEFI symptoms, guiding non-registered beneficiaries

Vaccination conducted at the health facilities – both government and private – where either a medical officer or a doctor is available is defined as a fixed session site. Schools and community halls will be outreach session sites while there will be special mobile teams for remote areas or migratory population and international border areas.

All COVID-19 vaccination sessions will be conducted from 9 am to 5 pm.