Vaccine Table Update: June 4, 2021 With "natural infection" added
 

Vaccine Table Update: June 4, 2021

Additions are in peach. Sources (and explanations) are below. (If you’re a paying subscriber and want a PDF, reply to the email and I can send it to you with and without highlights).

***New variant names***
This week, the WHO (finally) agreed upon an easy to use variant naming system. So, I updated the table with the new names. You should start seeing changes in mass media too (I hope).

***Pfizer***
Works against Kappa: 34% after the first dose and 88% after the second dose

***Moderna***
Early in May, Moderna announced the preliminary results from the adolescent trial (called TeenCOVE). Vaccine efficacy is 96% against severe disease. No serious safety concerns identified. This is now on it’s way to the FDA (see the process again here).

***AstraZeneca***
-Works against Alpha: 66% effectiveness (here)
-Works against Kappa: 60% effectiveness (here)

***Natural Infection***
Remember, if you’ve recovered from COVID19, it’s recommended you get the vaccine for four reasons. Nonetheless, a lot of you have been asking me to add a “naturally infected” data. I’ve been waiting for more reinfection data to be published. This coupled with WHO’s recent scientific brief of natural immunity, initiated this new column:
-About 90-99% of those that have recovered from COVID19 have detectable antibodies for at least 4 weeks (here, here, here, here, here). However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are protected from disease. Natural infection can mount a messy response (see more here)

-Natural infection provides 80-90% protection from reinfection (here, here, here, here). It’s provides about 50% protection for those 65+ (here)

-For some, protection can last 8 months (because we have 8 months of data, it’s probably more). However, for others, we have seen waning protection occurring within several months. (here, here, here, here, here)

-“Natural antibodies” have reduced effectiveness against Beta and Gamma (here, here, here, here). And, particularly, MILD infection doesn’t seem to work against Beta and Gamma variants. However, SEVERE infection (i.e. hospitalization) seems to still work (here).

Okay, that’s it for now.

Love, YLE

There are lots of data sources in this one. Go here for the hyperlinks to all the studies:

Vaccine Table Update: June 4, 2021 - Your Local Epidemiologist


Vaccine Table Update: June 4, 2021 - Your Local Epidemiologist

So, the message is that everyone should get the vaccination, but everyone will probably still catch one form or another. Of course, I am being facetious.

Good to see all vaccines are providing a high level of protection against severe disease in the real world.

Those worried about RNA vaccines have the option of a non-RNA vaccine like J&J to reduce their severe disease risk to similar levels.

By the time everyone gets the current vaccination, the current version of Covid will have disappeared and new forms will be spreading. Then EVERYONE can get another shot, and then another until a new scare appears on the scene. Perhaps an HIV-Covid-Measles hybrid. I had my two shots and have no intention on getting a subscription to the "shot of the month" club. I'll take my chances from here on out, and if anyone is scared then they can stay away from me. If the gov can't see it to punish those responsible, whether it was China or whether it came from here, I am not going to follow their demand for me to get "inoculated." Before demanding us to fall in line and cooperate, our leaders need to prove they can be trusted, and that sounds like an impossible task.

I’m fine with regular vaccination at the moment, it’s about the same as being stung by a mosquito. Sometimes, it’s ok to consider what experts have to say but do my own research too.