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  • Another very good article from Reuters on the race for a SARS-COV-2 vaccine.

    I'm not an expert on immunology but I know enough. I found the article conflated a lot of terms. So if you read it, keep this in mind. There are basically 4 categories of vaccines: Live attenuated (Measels), Inactive (seasonal Influenza), Toxoids (Tetanus), Synthetic Biologics (Hep B). The first three have been produced for decades, the later maybe 2 decades and there aren't a lot of the newest mRNA biologics floating around. And, its Synthetic Biologics that hold the most promise for the ease of development and scale of vaccine needed to inoculate the global population against SARS-COV-2.

    By my count, there are trillions of dollars being invested on vaccine development by both governments (some in consortiums) and private investors that also operate under NGOs and Charitable/Nonprofits as larger umbrella organizations.

    The Reuters article was very complete. I was floored by the money being spent and the number of both big name pharmaceutical companies like Johnson & Johnson and Glaxo-Smith-Kline and small biotech companies working on some 125 candidates. The furthest along, not counting the Chicoms (those fuckers) and from J&J could be ready for a rapidly conducted human test in June and potentially available by the fall but not at scale. Wow! Much quicker than I think anyone expected. Questions loom about whether or not any of them will actually work.

    I also thought the article demonstrated that there is a lot of global cooperation between the various entities that work on vaccines. I had no idea the US had one of the word's most involved, well funded and largest of them - Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). It's part of HHS.

    Still, competition is present with countries making investments in vaccine manufacturers with the proviso that they'll get it first. The stuff we read last week that the US (and China - those not to be trusted fuckers again) were not getting involved with the WHO's efforts to bring a bunch of folks together to insure the development of vaccines but more importantly to make sure there is equitable distribution of the one that works - something I am absolutely positive Trump's America first positions dictated a no fucking way response to WHO.

    If you look at this in the context of the world's most powerful countries maneuvering for strategic advantage, how the US and China emerge from this shit-storm on any number of levels, including having made the right call and invested in companies or groups of companies that bring the first effective SARS-COV-2 vaccine to market, they win and win big.

    In this context, the race for a successful SARS-COV-2 vaccine may be bigger than any arms race or battle for dominance in outer-space ever. In this particular strategic game, I'm not entirely dismissive of the idea that the Trump administration, as fucked-up as it appears PDJT is in his messaging and more, that it's in a good position to win this thing. I like America's chances .... if Trump will just sit down, STFU and let the experts on these matters do their thing. I expect the fucking Chicoms to do everything and anything to prevent the US from gaining the upper hand here. They will, without question, cheat and lie and will use this opportunity to expand their power and global reach. Trump and his crowd better be ready.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...edName=topNews
    Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.

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    • That article makes a lot of sense. Whomever comes up with the most effective vaccine the soonest will be almost like winning an arms race. Everyone will want it, and they won't be able to produce it fast enough.

      More reasons why pharmaceutical companies and medical suppliers need to locate more manufacturing facilities in the US. If they want to sell their products here, they should be required to produce a certain percentage of their product(s) here. (30%?)
      "in order to lead America you must love America"

      Comment


      • Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
        Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.

        Comment


        • "The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is sometimes hard to verify their authenticity." -Abraham Lincoln

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          • AA, your two posts today indicate you're in an upbeat mood ..... heh ..... smile ......

            I'm good.

            I started my day by writing comments solicited by the FL Task Force for Reopening. Comments from FL's public were solicited via a web site. Jumped right on it. Of course and as you can imagine, I'm a reopening advocate - cautious, step-wise oriented, using the administrations's Reopening America Plan in parts.

            I favor using more and better gating measures. Rt is one of them as is hospital admissions and ER symptom reports. The infrastructure is in place for that data, it is more time sensitive and not plagued by the flaws in CFR and case #s as measures of disease spread or relative containment. My take is that serious illness and death will not rise significantly with measured reopening and there is data to back that position up. Paranoia is predominating right now as is the fear of political back-lash. Get over it.

            In that vein, I advanced the idea that decision makers cannot be paralyzed from reopening action by the media's narrative that indicates those same officials will have "blood on their hands" if they take steps to reopen too soon. The counterpoint is to consider economic collapse of S. FL businesses and county governments that rely on tax revenue from those business operations if S. FL continues to shutter. The toll of that overly protective and fearful option is continued unemployment and failing small businesses ..... the life blood of the S. FL economy.

            I also think testing capacity along with the human resources to do it, ID, quarantine, trace and track is important but FL cannot wait until everyone can get tested and 100% of the required resources to do that (ID, track and trace) to reopen. Targeted testing and tracking based on available resources can work as increased capacity is built.

            The news seemed a bit more upbeat this morning - at least the articles I chose to read. These were mostly from NYC and GA restaurant owners. All of these are struggling with a lack of guidance. However, multiple US based culinary and restaurant organizations are looking to Asia, where restaurants have re-opened, albeit with restrictions, on things that are working there. Clearly, it won't be easy. Restaurants will be dealing with decreased capacity, unprofitable operations in that circumstance, liability issues and, perhaps most importantly, customer reluctance to take the risk of COVID exposure while dining out. Still, the ideas to protect employees and customers I read about were innovative and owners were enthusiastic about working to open. The best comment was from a restaurant owner in Atlanta that said the restaurant business is by nature chaotic. We are problem solvers and we have been working on solving chaos issues for a long time. We're ready. Uplifting.
            Last edited by Jeff Buchanan; April 26, 2020, 08:55 AM.
            Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.

            Comment


            • Yes, I am upbeat. Beautiful day. Golf later. Yes, golf. Socially isolated, but golf. Then grilling some steaks.
              "The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is sometimes hard to verify their authenticity." -Abraham Lincoln

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              • Good for you!
                Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.

                Comment


                • Undoubtedly. But, again, the undercounted deaths are certainly not 10X reported deaths. I mean, THAT would have been noticed. They're probably not even 2X. Again, in New York that's an extra 20,000. Whatever the undercount, it's probably relatively small. But, even it's 25% -- then NY has roughly 27K deaths instead of almost 22. If case underreporting is 10X then then CFR is 0.9% under that scenario.

                  So, again, I don't see a single downside to the gathering evidence that cases could be 10X or greater than confirmed cases.
                  Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
                  Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.

                  Comment


                  • Agreed.
                    "The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is sometimes hard to verify their authenticity." -Abraham Lincoln

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                    • AA...wash that steak down with some Corona...
                      Shut the fuck up Donny!

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                      • The case count thing as it relates to decreasing CFR seems to be getting some traction. My wife was just watching a YouTube video of a Dr. in CA (and I assume he's been laid off or is loosing practice revenue becasue he's a reopening advocate) went through CA's numbers then NY, then Sweden and Norway as a means of demonstrating that (1) CFR is uniformly below 1% all with varying degrees of lock-down, all with varying degrees of testing.

                        His main point (2) was, why are we locking down?

                        He went on to argue that with seasonal influenza Case #s are similarly under-reported, CFR is consistently below 1%, there is no lock-down during seasonal flu and there is a vaccine!

                        Of course, that sort of reasoning resonates with me - I'd want to go back and see the documents showing the numbers he used but I think his point stands. Reopen.
                        Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.

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                        • His numbers came direct from the CDC and WHO websites. I saw the video...Dr. Erickson...made more sense than any other narrative I've heard in the last 8 weeks...
                          Shut the fuck up Donny!

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                          • It's not the flu, but it's not the black death, either. We're getting closer to a sensible approach that considers reality. Currently, of course, we're in black death mode, but those days are numbered.
                            Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
                            Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by THE_WIZARD_ View Post
                              AA...wash that steak down with some Corona...
                              I see what you did there.
                              "The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is sometimes hard to verify their authenticity." -Abraham Lincoln

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                              • AA...

                                XOXOXO
                                Shut the fuck up Donny!

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