1/ The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective in the over 65 year old age group. Health Canada has approved it for use in this age group and most of the Canadian medical experts agree that we can use it in this age group. NACI, the National Advisory Committee on Vaccinations, has recommended that it not be used in people over 65.
Here is why their recommendations differ:
NACI has based their recommendation on the phase III trial results of the AstraZeneca vaccine. That's the last phase of a scientific trial in which you need at least 30,000 human participants. This phase must be completed before a vaccine can be considered for use in the 'real' world. In this phase III trial, there were too few cases of COVID 19 in people over 65 in both the study group, the group that got the vaccine, and the control group, the group that did not get the vaccine. That's probably because the people over 65 in both groups had been isolating and adhering to public health guidelines more consistently than the younger participants. If very few in either group get COVID, you cannot determine whether the vaccine works.
"There were too few cases in older people in the AstraZeneca trials to observe precise levels of protection in this group, but data on immune responses were very reassuring," Mary Ramsay,
Head of Public Health, England.
So, in the scientific trials, there is not enough evidence to prove that the vaccine is effective in people over 65.
But, then there is the real world evidence. What are we seeing in countries where large groups of people of all ages have been vaccinated, and I mean hundreds of thousands of people? When looking at over 600,000 vaccinated people in England, they saw an excellent immune response in people over 65.
NACI is basing their recommendations on the results of the research trial, Health Canada and many other countries are recommending the vaccine be used in people over 65 based on the real world data which is growing everyday as more and more folks get vaccinated.
2/ We can now extend the time between the first dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from 28 days to 120 days. This is great news. We no longer need to hold onto these vaccine doses for those that have received the first dose. Instead, we can immunize twice as many people with the expectation that within 4 months there will be so much vaccine around that we will have to start giving it away, plenty available for that second dose.
This is what will happen. Twice as many people vaccinated, twice as many immune to COVID and BAM. COVID does not stand a chance.
It is NACI that made this recommendation to extend the length of time between doses. NACI is basing this recommendation on real-world studies which show that people who receive the first dose of the vaccine have sustained high levels of antibodies that protect agains COVID-19 for up to six months.
BAM....I will say it again. COVID does not stand a chance.
3/ The AstraZeneca vaccine is only 63 % effective which means it reduces the risk of getting COVID 19 in people who are vaccinated by 63% compared to the mRNA vaccines ( Pfizer and Moderna) which are 93% effective. BUT, the AstraZeneca vaccine almost completely wipes out serious illness, complications and death caused by COVID in those that are vaccinated, rendering COVID 19 a mild to moderate illness at best.
COVID really doesn't stand a chance. It's like Hitler retreating in defeat against the Red Army.
And when Prime Minister Trudeau states that he thinks all Canadians will be offered a vaccine ahead of the previously held deadline of September, you can believe him. These vaccines are performing way beyond what we could ever have hoped for in the real world and we will soon have a flood of vaccines.
What a marvellous, sunny, hopeful day it has been.
I am going to miss you guys when these posts are no longer needed....but that is not yet. Wear those masks, stay 6 feet apart, do not gather. We are almost there.
So well done. Under 1,000 again today on Ontario. This is quite remarkable given that the variants are here. Thank you for your sacrifices which keep these numbers down while we roll out vaccines.
Our next 'Finding the Balance during COVID-19 Special Young People Addition' is on March 9th. See the previous post for a registration link. I will post the direct link tomorrow.
Anne-Marie
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CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca
Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca.
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