quote:

My mother had a pin that said "The more you complain the longer God lets you live."

quote:

Originally posted by pianojuggler:
I will be hesitant if the guidance becomes "a booster every six months".

quote:

A government panel of experts in Israel has recommended a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine for all people aged over 60 and healthcare workers....

On Tuesday night, Israel's Pandemic Expert Committee recommended a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for over-60s, medics, and those with compromised immunity, at least four months after their third jab.

The move is set to receive final approval by the health ministry in the coming days.

"This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world," Mr Bennett said.

"The citizens of Israel were the first in the world to receive the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and we are continuing to pioneer with the fourth dose as well," the prime minister added.

Professor Nadav Davidovitch, the director of the School of Public Health at Ben Gurion University and an adviser to the government, told the BBC: "The vaccine is very safe, so having the fourth dose in terms of side effects this is something that is very minimal."

"The Omicron [variant] is now in Israel. We have now multiplication rates after two days, similar to what's going on in the UK and in South Africa. And following this, we decided that it would be prudent now to suggest that people that got a third dose four months ago can have the fourth dose."

The BBC's Tom Bateman in Jerusalem says the evidence favouring a fourth shot has not yet been released, and the same committee advised against the move only a week ago.

One expert on the panel said there was a "paucity of data" on whether immunity from the third shot was waning, but added the numbers on Omicron infection globally were "terribly frightening".

quote:

Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide.

The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on the virus. The Army lab received its first DNA sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020. Very early on, Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch decided to focus on making a vaccine that would work against not just the existing strain but all of its potential variants as well.

Walter Reed’s Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine, or SpFN, completed animal trials earlier this year with positive results. Phase 1 of human trials, which tested the vaccine against Omicron and the other variants, wrapped up this month, again with positive results that are undergoing final review, Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch, said in an exclusive interview with Defense One. The new vaccine will still need to undergo phase 2 and phase 3 trials.

Unlike existing vaccines, Walter Reed’s SpFN uses a soccer ball-shaped protein with 24 faces for its vaccine, which allows scientists to attach the spikes of multiple coronavirus strains on different faces of the protein.

quote:

a soccer ball-shaped protein

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
For the future:

quote:

Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide.

The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on the virus. The Army lab received its first DNA sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020. Very early on, Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch decided to focus on making a vaccine that would work against not just the existing strain but all of its potential variants as well.

Walter Reed’s Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine, or SpFN, completed animal trials earlier this year with positive results. Phase 1 of human trials, which tested the vaccine against Omicron and the other variants, wrapped up this month, again with positive results that are undergoing final review, Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch, said in an exclusive interview with Defense One. The new vaccine will still need to undergo phase 2 and phase 3 trials.

Unlike existing vaccines, Walter Reed’s SpFN uses a soccer ball-shaped protein with 24 faces for its vaccine, which allows scientists to attach the spikes of multiple coronavirus strains on different faces of the protein.

https://www.defenseone.com/tec...ars-variants/360089/

quote:

Israel is considering whether to approve a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose for vulnerable people to contain the fast-spreading Omicron variant, despite debate among scientists and a lack evidence either for or against another booster.

The panel of experts advising the Israeli government on the pandemic recognized that uncertainty, but on Tuesday it recommended giving a fourth dose, concluding that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. It pointed to signs of waning immunity a few months after the third shot, and said that any delay in additional doses might prove too late to protect those most at risk.

But some scientists warned that the plan could backfire, because too many shots might cause a sort of immune system fatigue, compromising the body’s ability to fight the coronavirus. A few members of the government’s advisory panel raised that concern with respect to the elderly, according to a written summary of the discussion obtained by The New York Times.

quote:

A new British report shows that booster doses are less effective against Omicron than previous variants, and their effectiveness wears off faster — within 10 weeks. Vaccine makers are trying to adjust their shots to target Omicron.

In addition to concerns that a fourth shot in less than a year could actually weaken immunity, some experts said Israel’s government had still not made the most of other options, such as vaccinating more of the unvaccinated or giving a third shot to about a million eligible citizens who have so far not received one.

quote:

Israeli researchers from the Health Ministry and several academic institutions presented data to the advisory team that made the recommendation for the fourth shot on Tuesday. The presentation, obtained by The Times, showed a doubling of the rate of infection from Delta among the 60-plus age group within four or five months of the third shot.

There was no clear indication of reduced efficacy against severe illness.

quote:

Originally posted by Amanda:
I seem only to react to these things with itching (and how!)
The first, nothing much but the famous 8th day Moderna itch lasted a good while, and the Booster ONLY itched.

(And itched and itched and itched).

The allergist I just consulted for a bunch of things, thinks my skin has developed some kind of sensitivity in the last year. (I've been getting mad itches for no known reason repeatedly - nape of neck, front of neck turned scarlet and itched tons only relieved by cortisone cream and benydryl.

That lasted over a month interfering with sleep.
Considering the complaints I've heard from some of you all though, perhaps I'm lucky.

Just don't understand why after all these years I've developed some kind of hypersensitivity reaction to a plethora of substances, apparently topical.