Corona Virus Treatment

Reading the link below @Fat Controller, it seems to me that if we have 'active' immunity then we don't have a problem. But if we have 'passive' immunity we do. What's the point of being vaccinated if it only protects us for a few weeks?

Types of Immunity to a Disease | CDC

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about the flu vaccine, I've never had one as I don't catch flu or colds. I've not had a TB jab either, apparently it wasn't necessary.

As far as I'm aware the covid vaccine doesn't have any effect on other viruses - just covid. If that is true, considering we're told that covid is a form of flu, I'm surprised it doesn't. I was quite ill after having the first two covid vaccines and decided against the third, so naturally I won't be having a fourth. I think a good many people will be thinking the same, enough is enough. Flu jabs are usually given once a year and I think, should it continue, that's the way to go with the covid vaccine, both being optional of course. The virus is supposedly getting weaker and so many are saying it's time to get back to normal and live with it, as with flu. But will we be allowed too? Face masks are still mandatory here in Scotland and there are still restrictions. Until they are lifted, it's not possible to make the first moves, get on with life, and make our own decisions on protecting ourselves or not.

 

From reading this I get the impression corona virus is similar to the common cold virus and not the flu virus, its not unusual for people to catch multiple colds but I think its less likely for you to catch flu twice in the same season.

"Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses with some causing less severe disease, such as the common cold, and others causing more severe disease, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronaviruses. They are a different family of viruses to the Influenza viruses that cause the seasonal flu".

COVID-19: epidemiology, virology and clinical features.

 

According to SAGE, a week ago, the next variant could be every bit as bad as Delta, possibly worse.
SAGE 105 minutes: Coronavirus (COVID-19) response, 10 February 2022

 

I think it was Sage who predicted 100,000 deaths a definite possibility due to Omicron.
They are a talking shop that always seems to go with the worst case scenario.
I don't know, maybe that is there job but it does seem to be aimed at scaring the living daylights out of the population all the time.

 

I'm not an expert in the field, more of an interested bystander, so for what it's worth here is my understanding of it.
The Moderna, Pfizer-Biontech vaccines are based on modified mRNA (mRNA essentially tells cells how to assemble a particular protein) The mRNA is modified to ensure that the body doesn't break it down before it has worked. The mRNA carries the information telling cells how to make the corona virus spike protein, so once taken into a cell, that cell produces the spike protein and puts it into the body where it is picked up as an invader and antibodies are produced against it so that when the corona virus turns up antibodies are already primed to detect and destroy the spike protein and the virus attached. The spike protein is how the virus attaches to the cell and injects it's own RNA instucting the cell to make virus proteins.
The Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine again uses mRNA with instuctions on how to make the spike protein, but delivers this to the cell differently. Oxford Astrazeneca use a modified chimp adenovirus as a carrier, this has been modified so it cannot make more adenovirus and just acts as an "envelope" to deliver the message. The Pfizer Biontech and Moderna vaccines use lipid nanoparticles to stabilise the mRNA and allow it to be taken into the cell. This was one of the technically difficult bits.
There are pro and cons with each approach.
Why the spike protein? Because it's vitally important to the virus, it is specific to the Covid virus.
Both of these approaches have been developed over the past decade or so, initially for other targets. The Oxford team have been looking at malaria vaccines for a while and I believe Biontech were originally targeting cancers. The use of mRNA to stimulate the production of antibodies means that the technology can be modified relatively easily for other targets, "just produce the relevant mRNA package it up and off you go"
If you are infected rather than vaccinated then the body will produce antibodies, but as well as for the spike protein there will be antibodies for other parts of the virus as well. Blocking the spike protein prevents, significantly reduces infection in the vaccinated.
Scientists are still trying to understand the full effects of the virus on the human body and how they occur, they are also trying to understand the complexities of the immune response to the vaccines and the virus.

 

The good thing that might come out of all this is that in times of crisis, such as this, medicine has a chance to move on much faster than it would under normal conditions and maybe what has been learnt will be applied to other illnesses with better and faster effect.

 

I see that the NHS now have access to a range of new weapons against covid - including treatments that you can take at home in pill format - I believe.

Mark is setting out his 'Living with covid plan' in 3 weeks - Boris is setting out his stall on the 21st. Mark just has to be different - I suspect - for the sake of being different.

Dame Sarah has already said we need to pump more cash into research - so that we can stay ahead of the game - because covid is likely to be the vanguard for something far more tricky.

What a time we live in.

 

Freedom for England tomorrow - however, Wes is not happy.

Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, described the decision to end Covid isolation laws as “very premature”.

Thank you Wes - do you ever wonder why there was a Conservative landslide? Do you think we should endure another year or so - just to be on the safe side?

 

Actually, I read where the UK is now not going to report numbers on Saturdays and Sundays.