OT - First doses of Pfizer vaccine could arrive in MI by mid-Dec
I know that we are still technically in no-OT season, but this is some very welcome news. The TL;DR version:
- Michigan likely to receive "hundreds of thousands" of vaccine doses starting in mid-December
- Health care employees, other first responders, and residents of long-term care facilities will get them first
- Moderna is about a month behind Pfizer with its vaccine.
I can't think of a better Christmas gift to end 2020.
November 25th, 2020 at 7:45 PM ^
Michigan (and the other states) have had 8 months to prepare the logistics of distribution. Hopefully they have used their time wisely.
November 25th, 2020 at 7:54 PM ^
Interstate trade falls under the auspices of the Federal Government.
November 25th, 2020 at 10:13 PM ^
You might want to brush up on the prefixes "Inter" and "Intra." Distribution within a state is intrastate commerce and thus outside the purview of the federal government.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:00 PM ^
They did. The state had to prepare a distribution plan to HHS by mid-October. It's available online at: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccination_Plan_for_Michigan_InterimDraft10162020_705598_7.pdf
November 25th, 2020 at 8:40 PM ^
Go away...
November 25th, 2020 at 9:26 PM ^
In the absence of any federal response, you're right. I don't see your boy Dotard stepping up now.
November 25th, 2020 at 10:15 PM ^
I've never voted for the current President.
----
It is fair to say, that adding value on topics like THIS (working with state hospitals and medical officials on distribution logistics) is what a State Government's actual job should be.
We realize a significant positive ROI on our tax dollars when we get results on tasks such as the above.
That's better than the (minimal at best) ROI we get on our tax dollars when we get "regulations on how many people to have over for Thanksgiving" as a primary governmental output.
November 25th, 2020 at 10:33 PM ^
Unfortunately, the state governments are not funded to do so and do not have the ability to print their own money.
Therefore, governors such as Whitmer have few other levers to pull (and you're wrong if you think that her recent tightening is not proper). Wisconsin has to be the counterargument for not allowing governors to manage the public health during pandemics.
I'd be all for dimwits infecting each other if they could only keep it to themselves.
November 26th, 2020 at 12:44 AM ^
I want to be a State Governor. Anytime the job gets challenging, I can play the "well, we need $$$ from DC!" card.
This is an opportunity for State Governors and Legislatures to actually show true leadership. They're supposed to be leaders, right? Our brightest and best? Isn't that what they sell us on?
This is the opportunity for the various 50 State Governors to prove they actually are good leaders.
November 26th, 2020 at 9:14 AM ^
The sad thing is that very it's apparent you don't have any clue how asinine that statement is.
November 26th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
Unfortunately, very few of our government officials are leaders. They just happen to be talented politicians and fundraisers. Which ultimately is a reflection of what we as voters value.
November 25th, 2020 at 11:00 PM ^
How many tax dollars did Michigan expend to make rules about the number of people who can congregate in one place? Virtually none.
November 26th, 2020 at 6:40 AM ^
Those photocopies of the EO aren’t printed with toner that goes on trees. Nor paper that grows on— wait
November 26th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
You mean aside from the whole operation warp speed that actually got us to a vaccine in 7 months (fastest prior vaccine development took several years). Other than that, he’s totally dropped the ball on the vaccine front.
November 26th, 2020 at 2:48 PM ^
Warp Speed had no impact on Pfizer's vaccine efforts.
The Feds did fund Moderna and Glaxo but not without allowing blatant conflicts of interest along the way.
Passing out grants is not very tough/
The military has never been very involved in the distribution and administration of medicines in the US so we'll see on that.
November 27th, 2020 at 8:05 AM ^
We haven’t had a pandemic of this magnitude in 100 years. This is absolutely something the military should do well.
November 26th, 2020 at 1:20 PM ^
He's got General Perna chomping at the bit to distribute the virus when it's available. His specialty is logistics. This has been the plan for some time now. Don't know what you consider a response, but it's been in the news a fair amount recently. Fucking google it you mindless sheep. If they haven't censored that info, you might learn something. Then take your unfounded Trump snark and shove it up your oblivious ass. Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!
November 26th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
Gen. Perna was the boss of one of my clients a few years ago. Extremely bright and a talented logistician. If anyone can get this done, he and his team will.
November 26th, 2020 at 4:11 PM ^
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
November 25th, 2020 at 7:58 PM ^
I read somewhere that they are making it in the Pfizer / Upjohn facility in Kalamazoo.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:01 PM ^
Are you saying we should all go loot the place?
November 25th, 2020 at 8:01 PM ^
Yes, that's correct. One of two primary manufacturing facilities that Pfizer is using to produce the vaccine.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
Great, looking forward to one-half of this stupid country refusing to get the vaccine because it will either turn you gay or into a homophobe depending on what brand of partisan lunacy and LARPing they subscribe to.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:13 PM ^
If they don't wanna take it, that's their problem. And good luck getting on planes or going to school without it.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:21 PM ^
I've already seen a group in Australia that wants to boycott Qantas Airlines because the CEO has said all passengers to and from international destinations must be vaccinated before they can fly.
I'm actually okay if they want to boycott. I may breath easier (so to speak) on Qantas flights knowing morons are self-selecting other carriers.
November 26th, 2020 at 11:19 AM ^
The same people who bitch and moan about their personal freedoms being infringed upon are oftentimes the same people who couldn’t care less about the freedoms of others.
How often do you see or hear about someone coming into another person’s place of business, are asked by that business owner to wear a mask before coming in, and that person whips up a firestorm about how they can’t be forced to do it, how this is tyranny, etc.? It’s entirely that business owner’s right and freedom to tell you the conditions that you have to meet before entering their store, and if you don’t like, go pound sand and shop somewhere else.
Same deal here. The CEO runs the company. He’s got the right to tell you, the customer, the conditions you have to meet before being able to utilize his business. If you opt to not meet those conditions, then fine, but go fly with someone else.
So many people want to have their cake and eat it too. They want their freedoms intact, but if someone else’s freedoms are infringed upon (especially someone you disagree with) then hey man, that ain’t their problem.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:12 AM ^
Exactly, they've had an entire 7 MONTHS working on safety and trials. If that isn't enough for you, what will be? Shut up and take it!!
November 26th, 2020 at 6:52 AM ^
All the more for the rest of us.
November 26th, 2020 at 8:09 AM ^
Or the people that refuse to take it because there are no long term studies to show potential side effects. A completely new type of vaccine was fast tracked in order to get it into the population ASAP, what could possibly go wrong?
November 26th, 2020 at 10:50 AM ^
I have those concerns too—how long will we have an immunity benefit, combined with unknown risk for some potential long term side effect. The short term side effects (from the actual vaccine) don’t worry me as much—and I know they can be pretty bad. I have several friends who are in the Moderna Trial, and had the side effects. They weren’t always mild.
But I’ve spoken to my own doc, and several ID Docs too, who have me leaning toward getting it. Super basic arguments for:
The work on coronavirus vaccines started in 1982–not as short term as I thought. This coronavirus does not mutate, and gave them a specific target to work on, but they had the head start. So, no vaccine for a coronavirus doesn’t mean they didn’t already have a good head start.
Protecting myself, and every other person who does the same—even if its short lived, will give some relief to a pandemic that has created a death, economic distruction, depression, division and so many missed life experiences.
My care-taking (of everyone!) mother with COPD is depressed, and heading into a long winter in Michigan, while trying to keep her own self safe. She is wary. My kids have missed their entire senior year in school, and sports for most of the last 9 months... I need a f-img real vacation.
So, I get why some people are cautious. I think we need to listen to the experts and get comfortable with our choice. And I hope its a choice. Last week I was a “no” ... today I am closer to being a “yes”. Just need to have the information.
November 28th, 2020 at 1:30 AM ^
Not to the degree we see with many other viruses—
and, what does the mutation mean?
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/26/covid-mutations-do-not-appear-to-be-helping-the-virus-spread-more-rapidly-study-says.html
November 26th, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
Not saying this treatment has no value but HIV entered the population when Dr Koprowski rushed a polio Vaccine to market without fully identifying the ingredients.
November 26th, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
Go take your tinfoil hat somewhere else.
November 26th, 2020 at 9:49 AM ^
Jesus H, it's a brand new vaccine that we have zero long term knowledge or really short term knowledge of side effects.
You can go ahead and get it but don't get all butthurt when someone rightfully doesn't trust it.
I have yet to get a flu vaccine since I was 7 and haven't gotten the flu since I was 6, so why would I get it now when I constantly hear people say they got the flu right after getting the vaccine?
November 26th, 2020 at 1:28 PM ^
Exactly ... less than 50k in the study ... no long term known effects because it has been rushed through (in truth I doubt it would have long term issues). I believe in vaccines and understand they do work but they don't work for everyone and for some it can have some terrible side effects.
There are some vaccines like the flu vaccine that is proven to be less than 50% effective. I choose not to get that one either. Tetanus sure .... I get that every 10 years.
61 million to date have had the Covid-19 infection worldwide and 1.4 million have passed away. That is less than a 2.3% chance you will die. Yes it is higher if you have other health issues. That's just the numbers. The media acts like this is a plague even (talking about it every single day) that if you get it it's a death sentence. Apx 655,000 die every year from heart disease in the US. I have had family members get it and they were past any bad symptoms in about 3 days. I have had friends with older parents that passed away from it but they also had other conditions going on. Yes I could get it and it could affect me badly and die but so could the flu. I'm good wearing a mask to protect others but I am just not that worried about this. The numbers just don't tell me that this is Ebola or other. I think people should have the choice of what to do and not be told they have to or forced to in anyway. I say get it if you like and if you don't want to, don't do it.
I am just not excited about this vaccine yet as it's been rushed and very new, especially since they don't seemed to be sure that you have long term immunity after contracting Covid-19. So might that be the case for the vaccine as well if true (as far as it not lasting to protect you giving you a false sense of security)? Which boggles my mind because normally when you have had something your body has immunity from it after the fact, sometimes for years and sometimes life long.
If it works and is effective that is great and I hope it is. I think we all can agree that we just want to take the masks off and get back to living regardless of your view on vaccines. It's been a tough year in many ways in regards to this whole thing.
November 26th, 2020 at 1:46 PM ^
Your own math doesn't work. 1.4 million deaths out of 61 million cases is 2.3%. That's roughly 1 of out 50 people. At that rate if everybody in the US got it, that would be roughly 7 million people dead.
It also doesn't take into account the people who die because the intensive care units in hospitals get too damn full. Or long term effects, which to be blunt are more likely with COVID-19 itself than with any of the vaccines.
Also, neither heart disease nor cancer are not contagious. Second-hand smoke is a problem, but we regulate the hell out of smoking in order to minimize it.
November 26th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
Yep .. forgot to carry the decimal over. It's 2.3%
That is still very low in my opinion. Higher than flu but 97.7% (98%) chance you will be fine.
I still think it makes it a tough choice. Either way I hope it works I am just not too keen on having the first run of it myself.
November 27th, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
If you aren't worried about the effects of catching the actual virus, why does the vaccine scare you so much?
November 27th, 2020 at 10:18 AM ^
If they tell me I have to get it in the butt, I'm out.
November 25th, 2020 at 11:04 PM ^
Arsenal of democracy, just doing our thing.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:21 PM ^
That is correct. Coincidentally, Pfizer recently completed a $200 M expansion of their Portage (suburb or Kzoo) facility that primarily focuses on drug and vaccine manufacturing. Kzoo has a long history of drug development and manufacturing through the Upjohn Corporation. Dr. Upjohn was a UM Medical School graduate and a really progressive guy; he instituted 37.5 hour work weeks, kept many employed during the depression, started grow-your-own-food farms during the depression, and started an unemployment research institute (W.E. Upjohn Institute).
November 25th, 2020 at 11:24 PM ^
Yup, my cousin works at the plant. He said it sucks bc news crews are constantly there.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:12 PM ^
Question I have for anyone knowledgeable on the subject: this vaccine requires 2 doses, one month apart. What happens if the person gets infected with C19 between the doses? Does the first dose provide any protections?
November 25th, 2020 at 8:24 PM ^
Short answer: probably.
I believe AstraZeneca initially stated some protection after the first dose and then 90+% after the 2nd dose, but I saw a report just hours ago that seriously questions their data.
(Edit: here's a link to the NY Times article
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/business/coronavirus-vaccine-astrazeneca-oxford.html
[might be paywalled]; I read it earlier while somewhat distracted by Michigan Basketball)
I haven't yet seen anything on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines stating anything about partial protection pending the 2nd dose.
November 26th, 2020 at 2:14 AM ^
From what I have seen from the trial data, you do get some protection which is then increased with a second shot.
Despite all the FUD it is likely to protect you for years. 100% of people tested who got the first SARS in 2003 are immune 17 years later to SARS-2.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:12 PM ^
There is light on the horizon. Please just hang on everyone, missing the holidays this year sucks, but I’ve been following the vaccine news really closely and even Fauci himself (who is required to give conservative estimates) is very optimistic that come April, vaccines will be fully available to the general public with the most at-risk groups having already been immunized. Come summer, life will effectively be normal again (with a few exceptions of course, lasting until later in 2021 or early 2022).
November 26th, 2020 at 7:56 AM ^
Thanks for being positive and helpful.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
This is a good counter to the vaccine fearmongerers.
November 25th, 2020 at 8:21 PM ^
Great news indeed! I suspect once Moderna is ready to rock things will really start moving quickly.