Job Done – I’ve Now Had My First Covid-19 Vaccination
I arrived a few minutes early at the Francis Crick Institute, for my appointment to be vaccinated.
I had booked to be vaccinated there, as I wanted to have a look inside one of London’s new modern buildings.
Note.
- The multi-triangular steel sculpture in front of the building is by Conrad Shawcross, who is the son of the journalist, writer, and broadcaster; Sir William Shawcross and the historian, critic and writer; Dame Marina Warner.
- I am a great fan of large sculptures like these being displayed in full view in suitable public spaces, rather than hidden away in store-rooms or in the farthest toom of a gallery. I wrote about this in Is There Space On The Overground For Large Art?.
I was had been told to enter from the North side of the building.
As the pictures show there were no signs, but someone spotted me and gave me directions.
I was directed to stand in a particular place and then told to enter the building, by walking down a set of stairs to the basement.
- I think my temperature could have been automatically checked before entry, as it certainly wasn’t anywhere else, that I noticed.
- There was a stair-lift at the entrance, for those not able to manage the stairs.
- Not that I saw anybody walking with more than the aid of a stick!
Once in the basement, I was asked to sit on one of about ten socially-distanced chairs.
Registration
There were a group of about six young ladies and perhaps a couple of young men, who then registered all those who had come for vaccination.
This was done mainly using your NHS number, so make sure you bring it.
Interview
Once registered, I was moved to another set of socially-distanced chairs, each of which was outside a cubicle.
I was then called in to the cubicle and given an interview by a young doctor.
She asked general questions and some about the drugs I take, so make sure you know what drugs you’re taking.
But otherwise the questions were ones everybody should know about themselves.
Vaccination
Once interviewed, I was moved to another set of socially-distanced chairs, each of which was outside a cubicle.
After about five minutes, I was called into the cubicle to be vaccinated, by a young lady.
I was only asked one question and that was whether I was right-handed or left-handed.
I am complicated, as because my left arm was badly broken by the school bully and I am right-handed, I prefer to have injections in my dominant right arm.
I also told her, that my unusual skin, means I don’t bleed from injections and she wouldn’t need a plaster.
She then said, that very few need a plaster with this vaccine.
The injection was quick and one of the few where the vaccinator didn’t say something like “Sharp scratch!”
I held a small cotton wool pad over the spot for perhaps thirty seconds, but despite being on Warfarin, my skin did its usual good job of stopping any bleeding.
I declined the sticker saying I’d been vaccinated and before I left, I was told I’d had the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Timings
From the time I arrived until the time I left was about half-an-hour.
Professionalism
It was all very professional and well-organised.
I’ve worked in factories and it was arranged very much how some factories are arranged, where the product being built is moved from one work-station to another until they reach Despatch.
It was also very relaxed and unhurried with lots of extra young people directing the patients around the various seats and cubicles.
Throughput
I have done my share of time-and-motion studies in the past and I suspect that, as time progresses, that the number of patients handled by this facility could be increased.
On the other hand, it may be kept a bit below capacity to make sure the relaxed atmosphere is preserved.
A Thought On The Staff
I must admit, I didn’t see all of the staff, but of the ones I saw, only one wasn’t white and she was Chinese and called Ying. Incidentally, she registered me, when I arrived.
A Thought On The Patients
All of the patients were white and with the exception of one other and myself, they were all female. As the patients were mainly over sixty and had probably made a choice to be vaccinated at the Francis Crick Institute on their computer, I find the ethnic distribution of the patients curious.
A Thought On The AstraZeneca Vaccine
I have a regular B12 injection and a flu vaccination every year, so I’m used to injections. The practice nurse is very quick, but the lady, who vaccinated me today was exceptionally quick.
- She also had a couple of syringes ready-filled waiting for me and following patients.
- She was able to vaccinate me, without my taking off my short-sleeved shirt and thermal vest.
- I also hardly felt a thing.
- I didn’t need a plaster.
As a friend, who also had the AstraZeneca vaccine, also said he didn’t feel a thing, I wonder, if AstraZeneca have designed this vaccine and its delivery system, so that patients can be quickly vaccinated.
Imagine market day, in a very populous country like Brazil, India or Nigeria! Has this vaccine been designed to handle mass vaccinations in an environment like that?
It should be remembered that this is AstraZeneca’s first vaccine.
I have a feeling, that this vaccine could have been designed to a new set of rules, so that teams can vaccinate large numbers of people quickly.
Should Coeliacs On A Long-Term Gluten-Free Diet Have The Pfizer Or AstraZeneca Vaccine?
This is an interesting question.
I believe that coeliacs on a long-term gluten-free diet have a strong immune system and this is responsible for the group, to which I belong, having a 25 % less risk of suffering from cancer, according to Joe West at Nottingham University.
This strong immune system may react to and attack a two-dose viral-vector vaccine like the AstraZeneca, so would I be better off with the Pfizer?
I wrote about why this could happen in Coronavirus: Why Combining The Oxford Vaccine With Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine Could Make It More Effective.
This is an extract from that post.
A Possible Problem With Viral-Vector Vaccines
This is a paragraph from the article on the Conversation, which talks of a problem with viral-vector vaccines.
When a person is given a viral-vector vaccine, as well as generating an immune response against the coronavirus’s spike protein, the immune system will also mount a response against the viral vector itself. This immune response may then destroy some of the booster dose when it is subsequently delivered, before it can have an effect. This has long been recognised as a problem.
It looks like a case of shoot the messenger to me.
The Russian solution is to use different viral-vectors in the two doses.
Conclusion
As I believe, I already have a degree of natural protection from my diagnosed coeliac disease and long-term gluten-free diet and the resulting strong immune system, I think on balance, I’d personally choose the Pfizer vaccine.
But the choice of vaccine will probably not be down to me!
French Pharma Giant Sanofi To Produce Rivals’ Covid Vaccines
The title of this post, isthe same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A growing sense of national failure in France over the inability to produce a viable Covid-19 vaccine has been compounded by the decision of its largest pharmaceutical company to produce doses developed by its rivals, Pfizer and Biontech.
France doesn’t seem to have backed the right horse!
But at least producing doses of the Pfizer vaccine will help to solve Europe’s severe vaccine shortage.
Well! That Was Painless!
I checked the post before I went to bed and there was an NHS envelop on the mat.
It was my call to be jabbed!
I have just booked and I’ll have my first dose tomorrow, at the Francis Crick Institute.
I booked using my computer and it was a well designed system, that worked without a hitch.
Covid: Hackney Railway Arch Rave Attended By ‘300 People’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraphs.
Police have issued more than £15,000 in fines after 300 people attended an illegal rave in a railway arch.
Officers raided an unlicensed music event in Nursery Road, Hackney, at 01.30 GMT on Sunday.
Sounds to me, that the safest way to handle this number of ravers, is to use a water cannon, firing smart water, so they can be identified for a couple of weeks.
Coronavirus: Why Combining The Oxford Vaccine With Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine Could Make It More Effective
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Conversation.
The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, gives the basic details of the vaccine.
The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (codenamed AZD1222) is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca given by intramuscular injection, using as a vector the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1. One dosing regimen showed 90% efficiency when a half-dose was followed by a full-dose after at least one month, based on mixed trials with no participants over 55 years old. Another dosing regimen showed 62% efficiency when given as two full doses separated by at least one month.
It puzzles me and I suspect it puzzles experts, that the two different vaccination regimes gave different answers.
The article on the Conversation says this.
This was intriguing. Why would giving people less of the vaccine lead to a more effective immune response? The answer to this may lie in the design of the vaccine, and could mean that there are ways to make this vaccine – and others that use the same design – more effective.
I will attempt to answer this question, in the rest of this post.
The Russian Sputnik V Vaccine
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for the Oxford–Russian Sputnik V vaccine, gives the basic details of the vaccine.
Gam-COVID-Vac, trade-named Sputnik V, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, and registered on 11 August 2020 by the Russian Ministry of Health.
In most countries following guidelines of the World Health Organization, vaccine candidates are not approved for regular use until safety and efficacy data from Phase III trials are assessed and confirmed internationally by regulators. Gam-COVID-Vac was initially approved for distribution in Russia on the preliminary results of Phase I-II studies eventually published on 4 September 2020.
The quick approval of Gam-COVID-Vac was met with criticism in mass media and precipitated discussions in the scientific community whether this decision was justified in the absence of robust scientific research confirming the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
In December 2020, interim analysis from 22,714 participants in a Phase III trial were published, claiming 91% efficacy with no unusual side effects.
Wikipedia says, that a medical citation is needed for the Phase III trial.
Both Vaccines Are Viral-Vector Vaccines
The Oxford vaccine is based around a modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1, whilst the Russian vaccine is based on two human adenoviruses.
Adenoviruses are a family of viruses, that include the common cold.
The two shots of the Oxford vaccine are identical in composition, but the two shots of the Russian vaccine use a different adenovirus.
Both vaccines are what is known as viral vector vaccines.
Both vaccines would appear to deliver the same details of the spike protein of the virus to prime the body’s immune system to fight the real virus.
A Possible Problem With Viral-Vector Vaccines
This is a paragraph from the article on the Conversation, which talks of a problem with viral-vector vaccines.
When a person is given a viral-vector vaccine, as well as generating an immune response against the coronavirus’s spike protein, the immune system will also mount a response against the viral vector itself. This immune response may then destroy some of the booster dose when it is subsequently delivered, before it can have an effect. This has long been recognised as a problem.
It looks like a case of shoot the messenger to me.
The Russian Solution To The Problem
The Russian vaccine appears to get round the problem, by using two different adenoviruses in their two shots. There are fifty adenoviruses that affect humans, so they have a wide choice.
The first shot would only prime the immune system to the spike protein and one adenovirus, which could mean that the second and different adenovirus gets through without being attacked.
Co-Operation Between AstraZeneca And The Russians
This is the last sentence from the article on the Conversation.
This has now led to AstraZeneca testing a new hybrid vaccine schedule, comprising one dose of its vaccine and one of the Ad26-vector Sputnik V, to see if this makes the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine more effective.
I like the thinking behind this idea.
The priming for the immune system gets delivered by two totally unrelated delivery systems.
Conclusion
I wouldn’t be surprised to see this type of hybrid vaccine developed.
Surely, if we need to vaccinate every year against an ongoing Covid-19 threat, eventually, a succession of viral-vectors can be developed to fool the immune system.
The negotiation with the Russians could be tricky.
Covid-19: Two £10,000 Fines For ‘150-Person’ Funeral
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A funeral director has been fined £10,000 after police were called to a funeral with close to 150 people in attendance.
This time, it appears that the covidiots were Roman Catholics.
Covid: 400-Person Wedding Party In Stamford Hill Broken Up By Police
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC,
I would have thought, that the organisers would have known better, as the Jewish community in Stamford Hill has suffered badly from th covids.
In Jews In The UK And COVID-19, which I wrote in May 2020, I did a simple analysis and said this.
From these simple figures Jews are over three times more likely to die of COVID-19, than the general population.
Walk around the area and their are signs up in Hebrew telling people to Stay Safe.
How can people be so stupid?
But that’s religion for you!
A Measles Epidemic
About a year ago, I was asked by my GP, if I had been vaccinated against measles.
I said no, but I have did have a bad case at about twenty-five, which I recounted in A Surprising Question From A Doctor.
He said fine and then added that there’s a measles epidemic in the North of the borough.
Apparently, the ultra-Orthodox Jews don’t have a high level of vaccination and a lot of children.
This worries me, as will they bother to get the vaccine for the covids.
They should listen to the eminently sensible Chief Rabbi.
Covid: Biden Vows 100m Vaccinations For US In First 100 Days
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the introductory paragraphs of the article.
US President-elect Joe Biden has set a goal of 100 million Covid vaccinations in his first 100 days in office.
He said his first months in office would not end the outbreak and gave few details on a rollout plan but he said he would change the course of Covid-19.
Introducing his health team for when he takes office on 20 January, he urged Americans to “mask up for 100 days”.
I can see a few rocks ahead in his plan.
Vaccine Production
According to media reports, the number of vaccinations has declined since Friday because of delivery issues with the Pfizer vaccine.
In Tracking COVID-19 Vaccination Statistics, the number of vaccinations in the last few days are as follows.
- 15th January – 324233
- 16th January – 549920
- 17th January – 205235
- 18th January – 204076
The figures have been declining because of these delivery issues.
Pfizer say they are updating the factory in Belgium to increase production.
I don’t believe that, as the United States will be needing a million does per day, that they can get enough production on a reliable basis.
A Federal Lockdown
I believe that to get the virus under control in the United States, the country must follow the route of countries like France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK and have a period of perhaps a hundred days of total lockdown.
But I doubt that would be possible in the United States.
Mask Wearing
I don’t believe that Americans will mask up for a hundred days.
The Anti-Vaxxers And The Trumpeteers
I can see them having a field day!
Especially, if Joe Biden adds some strong legislation to curb the spread of the virus. Which in my view is needed.
Conclusion
It’s going to get a lot messier and probably more dangerous in the United States in the next few months.
The Diamond Light Source And Malaria
I had to put a link to this page on the Diamond Light Source web site, which is entitled Malaria in Action.
This is the introductory paragraph.
In 2007 Helen Saibil was at a conference in Australia. Amongst the presentations there happened to be talks on the parasites malaria and toxoplasma and how they infect mammalian cells, causing disease. Helen is a structural biologist and whilst listening she began to realise that her newly acquired skills -she was doing electron tomography of cells- might allow the researchers to see things they had never seen before.
The page describes the work of the Diamond Light Source to understand and lead the might against malaria.
The Anonymous Widower 