Oxford Says Vaccine 90% Effective
Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine may be Available in December
Oxford Unversity held a press conference yesterday to announce early results from its phase 3 trials in Brazil and Britain.
The vaccine requires two doses, no special sub-zero freezing, and will be less expensive than the mRNA vaccines. AstraZeneca is manufacturing doses and expects the first four million doses to be available next month with another forty million in January.
Oxford hopes to provide an inexpensive vaccine for developing countries.
Oxford designed the vaccine using the tried-and-true method of putting inactivated viruses into a mildly-infective adenovirus, which will carry the covid into the vaccinee.
Britain has preordered one hundred million doses, while the US has options on three hundred million. the population of the US is 328 million. Between the Moderna, Pfizer, and Oxford vaccines the US should have more doses than people.
More vaccines are on the way. We’ll let you know when the next one is announced. None of the trials are peer-reviewed yet.
The Great Montreal Vaccine Heist
In 1959, Montreal was in the grips of a polio epidemic. Over 731 children were struck down in Quebec that year.
Long time readers will know of my desire to emigrate to our polite and friendly neighbor to the north. I took this report seriously.
The Washington Post reprinted the story of the vaccine heist. Some highlights:
“Montreal had reached the height of a polio outbreak when a group of masked gunmen entered the city’s Institute of Microbiology and Hygiene on the last day of August in 1959. Their target: 75,000 doses of Salk vaccine necessary for inoculating children at risk for the disease.”
The vaccine was purchased for about $50,000.
“After tracing leads all across the city, an anonymous caller led police to a small unfurnished apartment in East Montreal.
Detective Sergeant Germain St. Jean of the Quebec Provincial Police approached the apartment with his gun drawn, only to find the door wide open and no one inside. After calling for backup, he surveyed the scene: Vials of serum rested atop melting blocks of ice. Others were repackaged or stuffed into a cardboard beer case. Inside the refrigerator, along with several bottles of beer, was the remaining serum. Almost all the stolen serum was recovered.
“Finally, a warrant was issued for Jean-Paul Robinson on Oct. 13. The pale, thin-faced 33-year-old had been missing for 48 hours. Relatives claimed that Robinson had been killed in a “gangland reprisal plot.”
Canadians Wouldn't Let Anything Evil to Happen to Kids
Jean-Paul Robinson, played by Canadian actor Donald Sutherland in an upcoming documentary.
Jean-Paul turned out to be innocent! Naturally, he’s a Canuk.
It turned out he was part of a sting operation to help provincial police capture a notorious gangster known to posterity only as Bob.
Unfortunately, the doughty JP had a heart attack and made an anonymous call to city police so they could get the vaccine before the ice around it melted.
There were a few other ins and outs and what-have-yous, but in the end, the judge declared Robinson innocent.
Sure it’s chilly in Canada, but global warming will fix that. I’m all in.
Hope you enjoyed all the good news. I’ll probably skip tomorrow as I have a writing deadline.
Mark
Oxford Says Vaccine 90% Effective Read More »
