Coronavirus (COVID-19) Discussion Thread

[haxxiy]

JRPGfan said:

curl-6 said:

Australia records 10th day in a row of zero covid-19 cases, nation-wide:

The one good thing about the UK version, is vaccines appear to be just as effective in protecting against it, as the old strain of the virus.
Getting spread of the south african/brazilian strains, could mean haveing to have a new vaccine developed + given to population.

I guess that'll depend on how effective the vaccines are at protecting people against moderate and severe cases of the new variants. Without exception, every single vaccine will be more effective against severe cases than mild cases. How low can you afford efficacy to go while still preventing hospitalizations?

For instance, Influenza vaccine efficacy against mild cases is suspected to be minimal or non-existent, and yet it reduces hospitalizations by a solid 40-60%. So far, all Covid-19 vaccines have been 100% effective against hospitalizations - even Novavax's one against the SA strain and Sinovac's with its 50% overall efficacy - although we do need a lot more data in that regard.

(Also, we need to be VERY grateful. That these vaccines are working at all is a small miracle in itself. It could all have spectacularly failed like our efforts in making vaccines against human respiratory syncytial virus or cat coronavirus. Or worse, backfired).