President Joe Biden said Friday that he is planning to request more money from Congress to develop another new coronavirus vaccine, as scientists track new waves and hospitalizations rise, though not like before
If the government funds the research and development of a vaccine then any taxpayer should get it for free. None of this handing money to a pharma company only for them to sell it back to us bullshit.
Yes, keep making more vaccines but don’t make people wear masks and keep distances. Theres literally nothing we can do to prevent diseases spreading besides vaccines. Surely covid was the last virus to threaten us.
Mate, im not anti vax. Im simply saying that the vaccine is not the only way for us to defend against diseases. We can do things to prevent them, much cheaper and quite reasonable things.
But were focusing only on vaccines and under capitalism i’m not so sure that our money is that effectively spent when transferred to pharma corporations. Isnt it insane that we’ve had three separate vaccines developed for the same virus when we really needed one?
Wait… so you’re saying scientific research into vaccines shouldn’t explore multiple avenues in case one is more effective than the others? Something you can’t do without funding?
Oh it should, but maybe under one organization, so we do not end up with one corporation undermining the effectiveness of the other simply for more profit.
Okay, but that’s just not how things work right now. That’s wishful thinking. Right now, the government funds private research. I don’t like it either, but that’s the way we will get future COVID vaccines.
I think the money spent on the development of the vaccine says otherwise.
Also, we had to wait for a covid vaccine for a year (or more? Already hazy) while common sense and hygiene were ready to go before the pandemic. We need to prevent those things from happening and slow them down before we know they exist. Waiting around for the next virus thinking that we’ll just make a vaccine might be a real shitty move if its more contagious and deadly than covid.
So the government will fund it with tax money, and pharma companies will sell it back to the government for “undisclosed” amount. Did i get it right? Oh what capitalism will do for our collective good.
Nooooo! It wasn’t created in a lab! Why would companies create and spread a virus that would require them to produce and sell billions of vaccines for?
I don’t do magic, but, yeah, I’ll have to be careful.
I just can’t do it again. I’ll kill myself before going through more pain like that. I just got my meds back after having to stop one for a while over liver enzymes. I like being able to button my pants and shower. Being able to work and make money is also lovely.
Imagine downvoting someone expressing their legitimate experience with a challenging problem they face.
Or you got downvote brigaded. Either way, this is a valid concern but unfortunately just underlines the reality of being immunocompromised - you are vulnerable and it is the responsibility of your friends family and neighbors to think about the vulnerable and do these things to protect people like you so you can live as long and healthy as possible.
Yeah, it’s kind of wild. The original point of herd immunity was to cover for people that for whatever reason couldn’t vaccinate. Luckily, the array of bullshit I’m on hasn’t caused huge problems past feeling like shit and becoming lactose intolerant.
They’ve made some awesome breakthroughs recently. Drugs that end in mab are monoclonal antibodies. Sometimes humanized mouse (chimaeras ftw) or, now, human antibodies. Expensive as fuck, but it’s the only thing I take for RA that isn’t some form of poison or something with annoying side effects.
These days the coronavirus isn’t really severe anymore right? Not saying that research should be stopped, but wondering if those who were going to die due to coronavirus sir to other health complications in combination with COVID probably already did die, which would be a majority of the deaths. (Yes, it is quite brutal but I believe this is true). These days even masks are not worn.
Every COVID variant has the possibility to be more transmissible and more deadly. Taking this with the cavalier attitude you want to is ridiculous. You sound like the “it’s just the flu” people, who ignore the fact that 50 million people died of the flu in 1918.
COVID needs funding because COVID is even more serious. We don’t know how to treat it as well as we do influenza, which is well-studied and nowhere near as novel.
So it doesn’t matter if it isn’t severe right now. The potential is not worth taking lightly.
Whether you think COVID isn’t that bad anymore or not, it’s sucks to get it. I would 100% take a shot every year instead of the flu shot if it meant I wasn’t bedridden for weeks
SARS-CoV-2 isn’t really any less severe, if anything the newer variants are more aggressive, but in a way that’s a good thing. The original strain had a particularly long incubation period, meaning an infectious person could do a lot of social mixing before the first symptoms appeared, and the same for all the people they came in contact with, leading to an explosion in cases that could overwhelm healthcare systems. There were varying reports of two weeks all the way up to a month.
Now, between more aggressive strains, and pre-existing antibodies from vaccines and/or prior exposure (even if “outdated”) the immune response kicks in much faster and people know they have it much sooner and there’s less opportunities for spread (even if some assholes don’t care and mix anyway). That combined with awareness of the virus and better treatment for the manageable number of people who get seriously ill means society is able to cope much better while “returning to normality”
Still sucks for individuals who get severe cases even now.
Don’t forget about that often ignored long COVID possibility either. The research is suggesting that each time you get COVID your chances of having more issues down the road go up. I don’t know if the risk is increased that much yet, but it’s a worrying trend that it seems mainstream media have stopped reporting on (probably because the economies needed people to get back to work).
They should make covid part of the same flu shot. In fact they should go a step further and make a massive combo of everything you need as one shot per year. Or mix it in the crops every harvest, or our water supply, or make the meds a mandatory ingredient for all table salt jars or something, so we all just have everything we need automatically with the latest updates as and when they release.
You just described a friend of mine. He’s a retired epidemiologist. Used to do tabletop modeling with his team, used to go to universities to give talks about what to do when an epidemic hits.
For context, he’d said back when Ebola was making headlines that “we’re overdue for an epidemic, but this isn’t likely going to be it”. And then in February 2020 he warned me “it’s coming, I hope you have a plan”.
He had also shared the following. It was so striking, I had to write it down:
Rules for Understanding and Surviving an Epidemic:
There will always be another wave of covid. None of which will be as bad as any of the preceding. I’ve pretty much reduced (mentally) the risks of covid to the risks of influenza and plan on treating each the same. And I don’t plan on making the wearing of masks a regular thing any more. However, getting on public transport, going to a concert, i.e., close quarters, I will probably treat those kinds of things as too high risk in the middle of a wave and take precautions.
This is someone who needed to travel (by plane) later on in 2020, and was adamant he would be wearing a mask, adding that most people don’t know how to wear a mask correctly.
Conversations with him over the years have been really informative. And yet it’s made me realize just how hopelessly lacking I am in the training and experience to be able to grok the things he does. General medicine being one area. But also the likes of statistics, and things such as how/why it’s not important to have 100% immunization, and how our brains aren’t wired to easily understand what exponential growth means in practice. He’s only too happy to reference studies; not just a specific one that supports his opinion, but looking up all the studies on the subject and working out whether they strongly support one position or a other, adding that if it’s roughly 50/50, then the conclusion is there’s no compelling evidence either way. This man loves poring over studies.
And to your point, he has made general comments indicating a lack of faith in humanity, not to mention some others in his profession.
Not for nothing, my wife and I got our annual flu shots last weekend.
They are already working on a new booster that should be out at the end of September, but I don't know if it is targeted enough for the new dominant Eris variant, whose main mutation allows it to better escape prior immune detection, or with the emerging Pirola variant, which has a concerning 30 new mutations whose effects are still being investigated.
So, an entirely new vaccine to deal with the newer mutated variants would be great. And with the advances in mRNA vaccine development over the past few years, it shouldn't take long to make a new vaccine either.
So, just a general message to all the commenters who are eye-rolling this:
Viruses mutate, and COVID has mutated continuously since it has been in the wild. All those shots did serve a purpose to continue to provide protection, and that this one will too.
You’re tired? Viruses don’t get tired. It’s not only a good thing, it’s a miracle that we even are able to keep up with these mutations and almost completely mitigate the risk of, oh, just death and life-long debilitating symptoms with a 15 minute visit to the doctor to get a shot every so often.
Viruses mutate, and COVID has mutated continuously since it has been in the wild. All those shots did serve a purpose to continue to provide protection, and that this one will too.
It’s somewhat baffling that this needs repeating after three years of COVID, but yet here we are.
Not even the doctor. I’ve never once gone to the doctor to get a COVID shot. Once a clinic and the rest of the time CVS or Kroger or whoever has the most convenient appointment time.
Yeah, we all know that viruses mutate. That’s like 4th grade science. We all know that new vaccines would be part of the deal. After all they roll out a new flu vaccine every year. I’m not saying that Covid is comparable in devastation to the flu. I’m just saying that anyone who even halfway knows how things work knew this would be the deal.
That’s why I don’t care. I knew from the beginning that this would be how this played out. It’s not a bad thing. I’m not an “anti-vaxer”. Everybody should get their yearly Covid vaccine and flu vaccine.
But when you knew this is how it would work all along it’s not really news is it? It kind of feels like they are just distracting from providing real help to struggling people.
Currently, at least 5 main lineages, with several sub-lineages among Omicron, at least. Wikipedia only marks Omicron as a variant of concern right now, and the others are considered out of circulation among the general population. I couldn’t find WHO data easily on their website, however.
I kinda dislike what the WHO has done with Omicron though. It has had so many lineage variants over the past year that we should have had 4-5 official new named variants by this point, but they seem to be avoiding doing that for some reason.
So we're dealing with unofficial sub-names now with the currently rising Eris variant and the emerging Pirola variant.
They are so genetically different from Omicron at this point that they make Omicron look like the same lineage as Delta.
So, yeah, it's been aggravating me that they haven't been officially recognizing these still ongoing pandemic variants.
We had 1 chance to eradicate COVID and that was when countries first started locking down. We failed… Miserably. So now COVID is endemic, meaning it is NEVER GOING TO GO AWAY. We will be going in for COVID and Flu shots every year for the foreseeable future. If we are lucky, they’ll eventually be able to roll the flu and COVID shots into one inoculation.
The terrible part being that Covid is several times more deadly than the flu, so we're going to have 60,000 more deaths on average per year than we used to. And that's only until some other viral epidemic occurs.
Who fucking cares. I’m so tired of the coronavirus. I got the first vaccine, and all 3 boosters. Plus I caught corona. Twice. I don’t fucking care any more. Let’s talk about housing. Let’s talk about minimum wage. Let’s talk about healthcare. I’d take dental care and optical at this point.
Ugh, if only we knew we could have fixed it years ago by saying we’re tired of it. That would have saved a lot of hassle.
Research into vaccines doesn’t preclude any of those conversations and coronavirus still uses up lots of health resources. Better vaccines for new variants would help healthcare in general.
So, I guess you don’t know how viruses work? Well they mutate really fast. So you constantly have to make new vaccines to deal with the new variants. See, if you had known this about viruses. Then you would have known from the beginning that new vaccines at least every year would be part of the deal, and then this wouldn’t be news at all.
I think everyone should get their vaccine if they can afford it. After all in America flu vaccines cost money, and I guarantee these new COVID vaccines won’t be free. I mean at some point these pharmaceutical companies have to make money right?
That’s why I’m tired of it. I want the vaccine. Hell, I want treatment for TMJ. But if you can’t afford it. All the cool new vaccines in the world won’t matter.
Huh. So you’re saying all my sister, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and cousins have to do to get over their various long COVID symptoms is declare they’re tired of it? Holy shit, I’m calling them all right away!
I’m saying. If they are already dealing with long Covid a new vaccine isn’t going to fix that. Sure, it may keep them from catching it again, but They’ll still have long Covid until they don’t.
Covid isn’t going away at this point. EVER. This is now something we have to live with. There will now be a constant threat of covid hanging over our heads. I’m not saying that new vaccines shouldn’t be developed, but it also shouldn’t be big news. Every year a new flu vaccine comes out, and every year a new Covid vaccine will have to roll out. This is life now.
COVID-19 still kills at least ten times the number of people that the flu does, causes far more hospitalizations, and leaves far more people with debilitating long-term illness. Until that changes, I am absolutely fine with getting information out there when a new and improved vaccine is in the works or ready, and I’m having trouble understanding why someone wouldn’t be.
No one’s forcing you to read news about it. You could have skipped this article.
Since, no one has answered my replies. I’m going to keep asking the questions. I want the new vaccine. I’m not an anti-vaxxer, but how much will it cost? Do you think these vaccines will be no cost to the American people forever? I just literally took out a loan to get a tooth filled. Vaccines are less effective when less people take them right? So, how’s it going to work this time?
Thank you for responding. I agree with a lot of what you said. The parts I don’t agree with mainly have to do with a lack of faith in in the US government to do what’s right. In other words. I think they will start charging for vaccines when they decide the losses will be acceptable. Which will probably be long before it’s on par with the flu.
But, I’d just like to point out that with socialized medicine. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
Also, you didn’t have to answer your question about are they less effective if less people get them. I had already stated that. When I was saying that if people have to pay for them then less people get them making them less effective.
I’m saying. If they are already dealing with long Covid a new vaccine isn’t going to fix that. Sure, it may keep them from catching it again, but They’ll still have long Covid until they don’t.
Sorry, but your assumption is wrong. Available studies show post-COVID vaccination may be able to help long COVID symptoms.
“Three of the five studies of vaccination after the infection showed significant reductions in patients with long covid, but none showed any harm of vaccination.”
Well, I hope it does help them. After all, no one deserves to suffer unnecessarily. If there is a treatment then that’s good.
There are a lot of things that make me question the validity of what is said in that paper, but honestly I’m not really interested in debating your hope for your loved ones.
Just to be clear. I hope it does work like that. A long shot is still a shot. I’ve hung my medical needs on a Hail Mary and won. So…
I hope you have a good night, or day or whatever. I don’t know where you are.
Good for you bud and so happy that you don’t give a shit anymore! So sorry that you can’t seem to understand that a virus that kills people other than you is a bad thing.
Oh, I think you misunderstood. First off i think everyone should get vaccinated. Like, I would like to get the new vaccine. But how long are these vaccines going to be free in America? After all the flu vaccine isn’t free. I can’t afford one of those. Shingles vaccine isn’t free. I can’t afford that either, and I’ve had shingles. It fucken hurts.
If you even halfway paid attention in grade school science, or realized that a new flu virus is rolled out every year to combat the new strains. You knew this is how the vaccine situation was going to work. If you knew from the beginning that this is how vaccines work. Well, it’s not exactly news is it?
Meanwhile my rent doubled in 3 years. I literally just took out a loan to get a tooth filled. I live everyday in pain from TMJ.
Oh, I know. Is this vaccine going to be free? I would like the new vaccine. Like, I’m not an anti-vaxxer. But I literally just had to take out a loan to get a tooth filled. How much will this vaccine cost? Because like you said. This virus isn’t done with us. It never will be. How much are the yearly vaccines going to cost Americans?
"I'm not an anti-vaxxer, but am going to post multiple comments saying we shouldn't keep making new vaccines because they would cost a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of US spending."
What? When I said how much it will cost the American people. I meant individually. How much will it cost ME to get the new vaccine? I can’t afford a tooth filling, and if you think corona vaccines will be free forever. You are sorely mistaken.
I am not trying to be antagonistic. I genuinely want to know, and you’re the only person that has responded to me.
Why is it that when I point out that eventually we are going to be paying for these vaccines no one responds anymore?
The cheapest flu vaccine I could find was $40. Flu vaccines have been around for decades. Plus when I asked the pharmacist how much a flu vaccine costs. He said “if you don’t have insurance we can probably get it down to about $40”.
I’m not going to be able to afford 4 $100 corona vaccines for my family.
If we all sit completely still maybe the virus will just pass over us. We could commemorate that day and turn it into a holiday and call it "Overpass" or something.
I didn’t say that we shouldn’t focus on it. But here’s a question for ya. How much is this new vaccine going to cost Americans? I mean the same people that charge ridiculous amounts of money for insulin aren’t going to give away vaccines right? Is the US government going to pay for these vaccines for everyone? All the vaccines in the world do no good if people can’t afford them.
Oh you mean to tell me that the first 6 needles they offered up did absolutely nothing for the long run? Guess we’ll just toss another 6 needles into everyone for this type of Covid too. Wonder how quickly the whole population has long term health problems due to that.
Nobody got 6 doses, so you’re already strawmanning.
Second, the original vaccine was highly effective against original Covid. Then it mutated so a booster was necessary, and that was dramatically effective in the long run. Deaths fell. Hospitalizations fell. Long Covid fell. The change in those factors is what allowed life to resume.
To be fair, the companies are raking in huge profits on the vaccines still. They can afford to do faster research themselves. If the public coffers pay, they should get equity.
Your memory is faulty. In summer and fall 2020, Trump was indicating to staff he may try to force the FDA to approve a vaccine without completing the required tests, just so he could claim that vaccines were out before the election. That would have been catastrophic and stretched the pandemic out for years. Biden and Harris said clearly and publicly on TV that they do not trust Trump and would only trust vaccines approved by scientists. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both completed phase 3 trials and got FDA authorization in December 2020, and both Biden and Trump got vaccines to show that it was safe.
I’ve had every recommended booster. Obviously I’m dead, but magnetic and my wifi signal has never been better.
Or maybe I’m just fine because vaccines have been a good fucking idea since Edward Jenner came up with them over 200 years ago.
Christ, imagine people being this untrusting of all the science and technology they use that has only been in existence for a few decades. You have no trouble using a device invented by ‘big technology’ to complain about things on a network invented by ‘big government.’ And all of that is much, much newer than vaccination.
Experts agree that the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed played a significant role in Moderna’s development of a potential vaccine. (Moderna/Reuters)
Vaccines weren’t available to the public until after the election and Republican voters’ support for COVID vaccines has been, at best, a slim majority that has only gone down with time. You know other people can just verify this stuff right?
You’re wrong. I said I wanted the vaccine as soon as it came out and was only available to certain people. Trump’s being in office had nothing to do with it. Also, they aren’t “Trump vaccines” or “Biden vaccines.” That’s moronic.
I think they might actually be partisan. After I took the Trump vaccine I felt significantly more right wing. Looking forward to this new Biden vaccine so I can get back to my normal political views.
Not a majority, but a substantial number of them. Majority of Republicans got vaccinated, and even a slim majority favored vaccine mandates, but that eroded as it became a Party talking point.
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