Would you be willing to volunteer for Covid-19 vaccine human trials?

[Firebat]

Anyone who is desperate for protection from Covid for any reason? Maybe someone with a moral compass and sense of personal duty for their fellow human?

Or do you think the risk is not worth the reward?

 

[gani999]

I wouldn't volunteer for any phase 1 trial.

I will definitely volunteer for the Phase -2 or -3, if I get the chance.

 

[sweep_shot]

I wouldn't. This is dangerous.

 

[sweep_shot]

I don't think you can have a permanent vaccine for this virus because it can mutate.

Herd immunity is the way to go. Also, people should fix their immune systems.

 

[KingKhanWC]

If they paid me , I wouldn't play.

 

[Robert]

I will wait until the properly tested vaccine.

 

[PetroDollars]

will be stupid too and should be illegal anyway no one wants to test it on there own people, even china will test there own vaccine on pakistanis or muslims in xinging and not on chinese.

 

[gani999]

will be stupid too and should be illegal anyway no one wants to test it on there own people, even china will test there own vaccine on pakistanis or muslims in xinging and not on chinese.

I wouldn't. This is dangerous.

You lot seem spectacularly ignorant about how vaccine trials are conducted.

First off, no one is ever going to administer an untested, potentially toxic drug or a dangerous virus into a patient as an experiment. That is the silliest assumption ever. Potential vaccine candidates undergo rigorous toxicity trials (usually on animals) and extensive testing much before they are even brought near a human. Any adverse effect, no matter how small, detected during the testing will result in the test candidate getting thrown into the bin.

Human vaccine trials are conducted in phases numbered as 1, 2 ,3 and 4. The number of subjects in the first phase is usually kept very low (about 10-15 people) as it is done only to look for potential side effects in a human. Only after it passes this stage is it given to an increasing number of patients in the further trials. At each stage , there are numerous checks and balances and the trial subjects are monitored very, very carefully. It is an immensely detailed, careful and a very scientific process. And it is usually very safe.

You would not have had even one single medicine or vaccine in the market if not for clinical trials.

 

[gani999]

I don't think you can have a permanent vaccine for this virus because it can mutate.

Herd immunity is the way to go. Also, people should fix their immune systems.

Every living thing, including yourself, undergo mutations all the time. Viruses are not exactly living things and need to infect one before they can mutate.

It would take several years, if not decades and several billion rounds of infection and re-infection before a a virus can mutate to such an extent that a vaccine developed against it becomes totally dysfunctional. While viruses are more likely to mutate when they are in a vaccine environment, even this kind of driven mutation requires several rounds of infection, which can take years.

If viruses mutate as fast as you think, even herd immunity would not be possible.

 

[sweep_shot]

Every living thing, including yourself, undergo mutations all the time. Viruses are not exactly living things and need to infect one before they can mutate.

It would take several years, if not decades and several billion rounds of infection and re-infection before a a virus can mutate to such an extent that a vaccine developed against it becomes totally dysfunctional. While viruses are more likely to mutate when they are in a vaccine environment, even this kind of driven mutation requires several rounds of infection, which can take years.

If viruses mutate as fast as you think, even herd immunity would not be possible.

How come they don't have vaccine for SARS then?

 

[gani999]

How come they don't have vaccine for SARS then?

There was a vaccine created for SARS but during the toxicity trials on animals that I mentioned, it resulted in the tested animals developing other immune diseases. So they decided not to try it out on humans.

Meanwhile, the virus itself mysteriously disappeared and hence there was no longer any need for a vaccine.

You may want to read this

https://theconversation.com/the-mys...he-current-one-but-didnt-for-the-other-137583

 

[sweep_shot]

There was a vaccine created for SARS but during the toxicity trials on animals that I mentioned, it resulted in the tested animals developing other immune diseases. So they decided not to try it out on humans.

Meanwhile, the virus itself mysteriously disappeared and hence there was no longer any need for a vaccine.

You may want to read this

https://theconversation.com/the-mys...he-current-one-but-didnt-for-the-other-137583

Did the virus disappear or people just developed immunity? How can virus just disappear?

 

[Buffet]

Phase 3 trial is not dangerous. In fact, vaccines may get delayed because you need sample size from all communities. Some companies are having a hard time getting volunteers from minorities.

I have participated in phase 3.

 

[MenInG]

Dunno - if money offered I might be tempted - but dont tell my family!

 

[Firebat]

The rapid pace of Covid-19 vaccine development and scant information about the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine review process are leading to concerns, the American Medical Association (AMA) said.

In a letter, the AMA urged the FDA to ensure transparency in the vaccine development process and keep physicians informed of the agency’s plan for review of potential vaccine candidates.

Vaccine hesitancy among the public appears to be reaching unprecedented levels due to a number of factors including significant spread of misinformation through channels such as social media, according to the AMA.

In April, the US government initiated Operation Warp Speed and has so far invested billions to secure doses of potential vaccines from across the world.

Warp Speed aims to expedite development of a vaccine and therapies to treat Covid-19, and the emphasis on speed has provoked public anxiety about the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines.

Earlier this month, Russia became the first country to grant regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing. However, experts have warned against its use until all internationally approved testing and regulatory steps have been taken.

In August, top US infectious disease official Anthony Fauci said the FDA was not cutting corners on safety in its review of vaccine candidates for Covid-19.

 

[Firebat]

Peru has begun registering volunteers for clinical trials of a Chinese vaccine against the coronavirus.

Six thousand volunteers, who must be aged between 18 and 75 and not have contracted the virus, will be recruited by Cayetano Heredia and San Marcos universities via a dedicated website.

“The universities will select 3,000 volunteers each,” San Marcos rector Orestes Cachay told reporters.

The vaccine, being developed by Chinese company Sinopharm, will be administered by injection.

According to Peruvian researchers in charge of the clinical trials, two strains of the virus - the Wuhan strain and Beijing strain - and a placebo will be randomly given to volunteers.

“A technical team from China will arrive in the coming days, totalling 38 people, to implement the operational part of the project,” Cachay told TV channel N.

The trial is expected to last until December

President Martin Vizcarra announced last week the country would participate in clinical trials of vaccines being developed in China, Britain, the United States and Germany.

Peru, with a population of 33 million, has the third-highest number of deaths from the pandemic in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Per capita, it has the region’s highest death rate, with 843.5 deaths per million inhabitants.

More than 28,000 people have died of Covid-19 in the country, which has registered more than 600,000 infections so far.

 

[Firebat]

Moderna said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine induced immune responses in older adults similar to those in younger participants, offering hope it will be effective in people considered to be at high risk for severe complications from the virus.

The company is one of the leading contenders in the race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has killed more than 820,000 people worldwide.

Its candidate, mRNA-1273, is already in late-stage human trials testing its ability to safely prevent infection.

Moderna said the immune responses in those aged between ages 56 and 70, above age 70 and those 18 to 55-years-old were similar.

Health officials have been concerned about whether vaccine candidates would work in older people, whose immune systems typically do not respond as strongly to vaccines.

The company has so far enrolled over 13,000 participants in its late-stage study. About 18% of the total participants are Black, Latino, Native American or Alaska Native, groups that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and are often under represented in clinical trials.

Dr Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s head of infectious disease development, said the company plans to post weekly updates on enrolment of Black and Latino trial subjects on its website.

Pfizer told Reuters last week that 19% of the 11,000 subjects already enrolled in its vaccine trial are Black or Latino.

 

[Firebat]

Peru, with world's deadliest outbreak, readies to start vaccine tests

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru will start testing coronavirus vaccines from China’s Sinopharm and U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson in September, researchers said, which should help the country gain faster access to inoculations once the vaccines are approved.

Sinopharm began this week to recruit up to 6,000 volunteers in Peru, which Reuters data indicates has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in relation to its population size. A team of Chinese scientists is expected to arrive in the Andean nation next week to work with local researchers, said Germán Málaga, a doctor and lead vaccine investigator at Lima’s Cayetano Heredia University.

“This is going to happen around Sept. 3, to begin vaccinations on Sept. 8,” he said. Sinopharm’s clinical trials in Peru are being done with Cayetano Heredia and the state-run Universidad Mayor de San Marcos.

Peru has recorded around 622,000 cases of the coronavirus, the fifth highest case load in the world, and 28,277 deaths. It now has the world’s deadliest fatality rate per capita, with 86.67 deaths per 100,000 people, a Reuters tally shows, just ahead of Belgium.

Sinopharm will also do clinical coronavirus vaccine trials elsewhere in Latin America, including in Argentina.

Other Chinese laboratories that will be conducting trials in the region include Sinovac Biotech, which will work in Brazil and Chile, and Walvax Biotechnology Co Ltd and CanSino Biologics Inc, which will test in Mexico, authorities have said.

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit will start tests with some 4,000 volunteers in Peru around Sept. 24, Prime Minister Walter Martos told reporters on Thursday.

“We are contacting other companies, laboratories, from Britain and other countries that are going to help us immunize at least 70% of the local population,” Martos said.

J&J said earlier this week that it would conduct Phase III trials for its vaccine in Chile, Argentina and Peru.

Peru, a country of nearly 33 million people and the world’s no. 2 copper producer, has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic, both in terms of infections and economic impact. The economy crumbled over 30% in the second quarter of the year.

The death toll could also be higher than official figures suggest. A national registry shows that between April and August there were 68,192 more deaths compared to the same period in 2019. Excess deaths often give a better indication of the true number of fatalities.

Researcher Málaga and Carlos Castillo, the chief adviser for immunizations and vaccines at Peru’s health ministry, said that carrying out clinical trials would help Peru get faster access to vaccines when they were ready.

“There is an unwritten agreement, in the sense that in the country where a clinical trial is being carried out, it has priority access to vaccine availability,” Castillo said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-readies-to-start-vaccine-tests-idUSKBN25O2CS

 

[Itachi]

Did the virus disappear or people just developed immunity? How can virus just disappear?

Read about SARS first. That's a different ball game altogether.

The difference of payload in same stage of diseases makes a great difference in how much a disease may get transmitted easily.

 

[Firebat]

Venezuela seeks testers for Russian Covid-19 vaccine

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has announced he will be asking for volunteers to test the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Russia.

Russia was the first country to officially register a vaccine against the coronavirus on 11 August.

But experts have questioned whether it has undergone the necessary testing.

The Venezuelan government, which has received billions of dollars in loans from Russia, said it would be willing to take part in clinical trials.

"In the coming days, we'll be asking for volunteers to get vaccinated," President Maduro announced on Sunday.

Russian scientists had said early-stage trials of their vaccine were a success - although the vaccine's approval by regulators comes before the completion of a larger study involving thousands of people.

Mr Maduro's statement indicates that Venezuela does not have the volunteers yet, suggesting that Health Minister Carlos Alvarado jumped the gun when he said 10 days ago that Venezuela had offered Russia "500 volunteers to participate in vaccine trials".

The Venezuelan government has also said that it was ready to participate in testing of Chinese and Cuban vaccines against Covid-19.

China and Cuba, along with Russia, are staunch allies of Nicolás Maduro, whose government has been increasingly isolated after more than 50 nations, including the US and UK, have recognised his rival Juan Guaidó as the interim president.

Mr Guaidó, who leads the National Assembly - the only institution in Venezuela to be controlled by the opposition - declared himself acting president in January 2019 after the election which had returned Mr Maduro to power was widely deemed to be neither free nor fair.

Mr Maduro, who has the support of the security forces, has remained in the presidential palace and largely in control of the country, but US sanctions have left his government reliant on loans from Russia and his other remaining allies.

After Russia announced it had registered the Covid-19 vaccine, which it has named Sputnik V, Mr Maduro congratulated it on its achievement.

He also said on that he would be the first to get inoculated. "The first one to be vaccinated will be me. I'm going to get the vaccine, I'm going to set an example," he said on 16 August.

However, speaking on Sunday, he did not say whether he would be among the 500 Venezuelan volunteers.

Venezuela has fewer than 50,000 registered cases of coronavirus and 381 deaths, a much lower toll than other countries in the region.

But immunologists say the true figure could be much higher as many Venezuelans do not get tested for fear of being stigmatised after the government blamed returning migrants for the spread of Covid-19.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53972641

 

[Firebat]

A small independent Russian teachers’ union is urging members not to be coerced into accepting shots of the “Sputnik V” vaccine, which is to be mandatory for military personnel.

Moscow clinics recently began receiving supplies of the vaccine, which has been approved for use inside Russia even though the final phase III tests began only last Wednesday.

From September, doctors and teachers will be among the first to be offered the jab on a voluntary basis, officials have said, an arrangement Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has said he supports.

The defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has said shots of the vaccine will be made mandatory for military personnel.

With Russian schools reopening on 1 September for the first time since March, the teachers’ union Uchitel has launched an online petition against making the vaccine mandatory for teachers before all clinical trials are complete.

 

[Firebat]

Oxford University resumes vaccine trials

Oxford University has announced that clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine, under development with the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, are to resume in the UK.

The trials were suddenly halted last Sunday when a participant fell ill. Oxford refused to disclose information about the nature of the illness, but the New York Times claimed a “person familiar with the situation” said the patient was found to have transverse myelitis, an inflammatory syndrome that affects the spinal cord and is often sparked by viral infections.

In a press release circulated to journalists on Saturday, Oxford University said the pause had given time for a “review of safety data by an independent safety review committee, and the national regulators”. It went on:

"The independent review process has concluded and following the recommendations of both the independent safety review committee and the UK regulator, the MHRA, the trials will recommence in the UK.

We cannot disclose medical information about the illness for reasons of participant confidentiality.

We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our studies and will continue to monitor safety closely."