Beginning of the End

A few days ago, the data were released on China's Covid vaccine, made by Sinovac and called CoronaVac. This Covid vaccine had to be evaluated in the United Arab Emirates, because China’s Covid rate was so. This vaccine is simpler than those discussed so far. The study showed this inactivated viral vaccine was 86% effective.

Inactivated viruses have been used for decades as vaccines and are still used today. The flu vaccine consists of inactivated flu viruses. Inactivated is the scientific way of saying “dead”. So, China’s vaccine, consisting simply of dead SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, protected nearly as well as the mRNA vaccines. Together, there are 4 vaccines, using three different approaches and each has 80% or greater efficacy.

This means the mechanism of protection is antibody-mediated. In turn, if antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are protective, then the subunit vaccine, which consists of recombinantly-made viral spike protein, will also be protective. A Covid subunit vaccine is in phase 3 already and the phase 2 results showed impressive antibody responses in the vaccinees.

Most of us have received several subunit vaccines, such the pertussis, the hepatitis B virus, the tetanus, and the new shingles vaccines. These vaccines are incredibly effective, easy to make, easy to distribute and amazingly effective. Human cells are engineered to produce the viral protein, grown in huge vats and then the protein is purified, put in bottles with a preservative and shipped out in large boxes in trucks. In short, some of the most effective and safe vaccines are subunit vaccines. This means the handwringing about mRNA vaccines, which, to date, have a great safety record, will be moot.

Hopefully, as the Pfizer vaccine administration in the USA begins next week, this is truly the beginning of the end. While my group continues to use HCQ, because we have data proving its efficacy, I will be very, very content, if, in 2021, I never prescribe HCQ.

Next up, we await the release of the data on one of Russia’s Covid vaccines, called Sputnik V. Press releases have touted the success of this fifth Covid vaccine, which again uses a different approach than the other 4. Reportedly, Sputnik V is 91.4% effective. So, 5 successful Covid vaccines with 4 entirely different approaches. Not too shabby. If true, we

And to you mask advocates, go suck it. In Jersey and elsewhere we are seeing the effect of believing that something protects a population which doesn’t. Mask use in Jersey has been incredibly high. Each of the many Covid pts I have cared for in the past 6 weeks wore masks regularly and worked in places, like EWR, which required mask wearing at all times. The belief that masks are protective undoubtedly contributed to this surge in cases in Jersey. To all you mask backers, fuck you. I had already seen plenty of Covid cases. I didn’t need to see all these new ones, their suffering and, in some case, their deaths.

If I hear any of these damn pundits discuss the need for continued mask use after the second dose of the vaccine, I will have to get nastier and call them out for their blatant hypocrisy. I guess some people don’t want this damn thing to end. But I do and it will.