Regent Watercooler! Off topic and non-cruise discussion here!

[DaisyUK]

On 6/2/2020 at 1:19 PM, cerise638 said:

TC. I am lucky enough to live in the South West of England between Bath and Bristol in a village with all the cliches, Church, village pub etc.  But we are close enough to two beautiful cities to get the benefit of their amenities.

 

Me too, perhaps we are neighbours!

 

 

[Travelcat2]

22 minutes ago, DaisyUK said:

 

 

That is such a beautiful part of the world!

[Zqueeze1]

Bill:  welcome home to your daughter and glad she is back safe and sound. is she going to be a lifer like her pop?  I don’t miss the deployments, but miss the camaraderie.  
Z and TB

[RachelG]

Bill, welcome home to your daughter as well.  When my son (Marine) was coming back from Afghanistan, they landed in Shannon Ireland for refueling.  All the Marines were able to get off the plane and have some Guinness.  They all slept well the rest of the way home.

[Travelcat2]

We are so excited because today our county enters into Phase 2 (the Phases dictated by our governor).  While a few restaurants will open at 50% as early as tonight (and this was announced a half hour ago), we are not going to rush into anything.  I'll still have my super disinfectant for the tables, chairs, salt and pepper shakers, etc. and will wear a mask when I'm not eating or drinking.  

 

At the moment, the only thing that I am missing is a good craft beer (draught) with a hummus/feta/veggie plate.  We've had plenty of wine and other spirits but have not had a beer since early March.  So, bring on the "suds"!

[cerise638]

Being from the West Country missing draught cider too but funnily enough did have humous, feta and veggies for lunch today but home prepared so not quite the same as chilling in a nice restaurant

 

It will be while before restaurants open here but very much looking forward to it

[cerise638]

Very early days but CIO of AstraZeneca has announced they will commence manufacturing of the Vaccine they are developing with Oxford University BEFORE knowing effectivity. With input from a couple of charities including one backed by Bill Gates they are hoping for a billion doses before the end of 2020.  

 

He and others are quite open about the fact that the vaccine may not end up being effective and it is a big risk.  They will not know until August. 

 

There is agreement to supply the US with 300 million doses (TC2 no need to fly across the pond 😊) and the UK 100 million doses as early as September and also a commitment to supply the poorest nations

 

We can only hope that it does turn out to be effective and that other vaccines under development are too 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, cerise638 said:

Very early days but CIO of AstraZeneca has announced they will commence manufacturing of the Vaccine they are developing with Oxford University BEFORE knowing effectivity. With input from a couple of charities including one backed by Bill Gates they are hoping for a billion doses before the end of 2020.  

 

He and others are quite open about the fact that the vaccine may not end up being effective and it is a big risk.  They will not know until August. 

 

There is agreement to supply the US with 300 million doses (TC2 no need to fly across the pond 😊) and the UK 100 million doses as early as September and also a commitment to supply the poorest nations

 

We can only hope that it does turn out to be effective and that other vaccines under development are too 

 

 

 

Great information - thank you!  My concern in the U.S. is getting the vaccine to all 50 states.  As of today, there is still a shortage of tests and "swabs" to perform the tests so it is doubtful that a vaccine will reach the people in a timely manner.  

 

In terms of not having to go to England, I'll use any excuse to go there. We used to visit much more often but our cruising lives have gotten in the way.  I miss my "proper" bangers and mash!

[RachelG]

No shortage of tests or swabs here.  Every patient who comes to the hospital for any reason is tested as are those having outpatient surgery.  So far I have had no patients test positive, in well over 300 tests.

 

i hope the vaccine works, but I am a little worried about them releasing a vaccine before they know it is actually effective.

[jeb_bud]

I’m a little worried about safety too. They’ve had time to determine that it’s not poison, but what are the odds of longer term side effects?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm more than worried about a vaccine that hasn't been properly tested.  No way I'll be one of the guinea pigs.

[RachelG]

26 minutes ago, jeb_bud said:

I’m a little worried about safety too. They’ve had time to determine that it’s not poison, but what are the odds of longer term side effects?

Absolutely.  Travelcat and I know someone who has lasting effects from Guillan Barre syndrome from a flu vaccine.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

7 minutes ago, RachelG said:

Absolutely.  Travelcat and I know someone who has lasting effects from Guillan Barre syndrome from a flu vaccine.

 

I thought it had been proven that Guillaume Barre Syndrome was not caused by the flu shot?  There's some kind of association I believe, but not that, but I can't remember what it is.

 

My father had GB in the 60's.  An truly awful disease.

[RachelG]

4 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

I thought it had been proven that Guillaume Barre Syndrome was not caused by the flu shot?  There's some kind of association I believe, but not that, but I can't remember what it is.

 

My father had GB in the 60's.  An truly awful disease.

Not all is caused by vaccines ,but some is due to an autoimmune response that attacks the nervous system.

[Travelcat2]

Rachel - do you plan on having the vaccine when it becomes available (you should be in the first group that will have the opportunity to take it)?

 

I was excited about the prospect of having the vaccine but am glad that there are a few more months of human trials before I need to make a decision.  

[Camillus112]

49 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

I thought it had been proven that Guillaume Barre Syndrome was not caused by the flu shot?  There's some kind of association I believe, but not that, but I can't remember what it is.

 

My father had GB in the 60's.  An truly awful disease.

 

I suffered the Guillain Barré Syndrome when I was in my twenties and little was known about the disease.  I was temporarily paralyzed and it was indeed horrible.  Since then, my primary care doctors have advised against vaccinations that have not been proven to cause a GB reaction.  The regular flu shot has not yet passed the test.  

[RachelG]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

Rachel - do you plan on having the vaccine when it becomes available (you should be in the first group that will have the opportunity to take it)?

 

I was excited about the prospect of having the vaccine but am glad that there are a few more months of human trials before I need to make a decision.  

I am going to wait a while.  I have seen too many new drugs that went through all the very long FDA testing and were released, only to find out months or years later that they had terrible side effects.  The vaccine is apparently going to be allowed to bypass that, which is crazy and irresponsible in my opinion.  I’m not sure how many people are going to be willing to be guinea pigs.

[SusieQft]

When I turn on my television, I am inundated with ads from law firms saying "If you or your loved one took [drug x] and had any of these side effects, call us."  

 

It is still very likely that I will get the vaccine at the first opportunity (without distant travel to get it), but this is definitely worth some serious thought.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, Camillus112 said:

 

I suffered the Guillain Barré Syndrome when I was in my twenties and little was known about the disease.  I was temporarily paralyzed and it was indeed horrible.  Since then, my primary care doctors have advised against vaccinations that have not been proven to cause a GB reaction.  The regular flu shot has not yet passed the test.  

 

Right, I think I remember hearing that, that having had GB, the flu shot was not advised.

At the time my father had it, it was considered a complication of the flu itself. So sorry you went through that. 

[cerise638]

There was no suggestion in the article I read that the vaccine would be released before it was tested and  known to be viable.

 

Obviously side effects are a big part of clinical trials.  They are balancing all those risks against being able to manufacture large quantities of the Vaccine if it is effective.  Not a decision I would like to call.

[SusieQft]

As I understand it, normally they would not start production for a new vaccine or drug until after it was proven safe and effective.  That actually would add some extra time after it is approved for additional problems to become apparent.   But those additional problems are more likely to show up after widespread usage in the general population.  (Thus we get all those legal ads a few years later.)

 

The short cut is to start production before it is approved, but I have not heard anything about shortening the actual approval process.  They did shorten the approval process for some tests that were subsequently found faulty and were withdrawn, so I am not saying they would not do it.  But it seems a little more serious to do this with a vaccine than with a test.

[TrulyBlonde]

Who is happy today to be sitting in their comfy home, reading CC, and talking about positive things like a cruise.  I am very happy to not be at one of the Covid Festivals that are going on Nationwide.

[greykitty]

9 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Who is happy today to be sitting in their comfy home, reading CC, and talking about positive things like a cruise.  I am very happy to not be at one of the Covid Festivals that are going on Nationwide.

I’m appreciative of my health and safety.  And glad I can support even in small ways those who don’t have the same blessings I take for granted.  

[Travelcat2]

18 hours ago, SusieQft said:

As I understand it, normally they would not start production for a new vaccine or drug until after it was proven safe and effective.  That actually would add some extra time after it is approved for additional problems to become apparent.   But those additional problems are more likely to show up after widespread usage in the general population.  (Thus we get all those legal ads a few years later.)

 

The short cut is to start production before it is approved, but I have not heard anything about shortening the actual approval process.  They did shorten the approval process for some tests that were subsequently found faulty and were withdrawn, so I am not saying they would not do it.  But it seems a little more serious to do this with a vaccine than with a test.

 

Based on what I have been reading, there is intent to start using the vaccine once it has finished the current clinical trials (late 2020 or early 2021).  While we cannot get political, it seems that the current government is pushing to get this going ASAP (not saying that it is wrong or right).  

[bissel]

SusieQ, would they put out a vaccine without people being tested? How much time is  usually allowed after those trials before being out for general use? How much time elapsed before Sabin fixed the Salk vaccine? How long did it take to realize the problem with the Salk vaccine?
thank you.