COVID-19: SG to enter Phase 3 from 28th Dec

[Kklim]

https://www.livemint.com/science/news/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-trial-lacks-asian-data-11607709392123.html

Covid-19 vaccine: Pfizer trial lacks Asian data

11 Dec 2020

A panel of independent experts set up by the US Food and Drug Administration voted 17-4 on Thursday in favour of granting emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech’s covid-19 vaccine

However, the US company’s phase 3 data published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Thursday, as well as the regulator’s briefing document for the vaccine, showed a lack of data on Asian participants, a potential concern considering that Pfizer has asked for a clinical trial waiver in its application for an emergency licence in India.

A spokesperson for Pfizer said the term Asians in the data refers to ethnicities across the Asian continent, including Indians.

Only 4.3% of the global phase 3 trial participants recruited by the US firm were Asian, while the efficacy rate for the diverse ethnic group was 74.4%. In contrast, the company’s overall efficacy was 95% for a cohort, which comprised 83% whites, according to the documents published by the US FDA.

“We know in the past there have been challenges in vaccination when they have been taken from the Western context to LMIC (low- and middle-income countries) context. It is always better to have local data, and that is something they should be asked for," said Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy.

Pfizer’s phase 3 trial was held at more than 150 clinical trials sites globally, and while the majority of them were in the US, 22 of these sites were spread across Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, data in the NEJM, a peer-reviewed journal, showed.

“India has a very large and extremely heterogeneous population, and we need to know the efficacy on people across the country. Even the safety profile is unknown in such a diverse population. As we saw when Pfizer provided data on various ethnicities from its efficacy study, its mRNA vaccine had 74% efficacy among Asians and not the 95% seen overall. That tells you there are differences in efficacy, depending on ethnicity," said Davinder Gill, a vaccine expert based in Massachusetts, US, adding that vaccine developers need to conduct large scale trials in India as it is extremely diverse and heterogeneous.

On the other hand, Suneela Garg, director of the department of community medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College, said the vaccine was tested on a wider demography in the US and the efficacy was largely consistent and that despite the lower efficacy in Asians, it was still better than the benchmark 50% set for covid vaccines.

“Any efficacy rate that is over 60% is good enough. Even flu vaccines have similar efficacy as this mRNA vaccine. But we have to remember that this vaccine has more side-effects than the flu vaccine," Garg said.

Phase 3 trials are usually conducted over a diverse area and group of people. However, during this pandemic, Pfizer has sought a waiver on clinical trials in India.

In a statement to Mint, a spokesperson for Pfizer said the company’s cohort in the phase 3 study was racially and ethnically diverse, with approximately 42% of global participants and 30% of US participants having racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

“Efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics. The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94% [the 95% figure is not across all age groups]," the spokesperson said.

 

[inlinesix]

Today, 1 case in Dorm.

Local cases RESET AGAIN.

[Raubern]

Looks like WFH may end soon for most people

SINGAPORE - Restrictions on workers returning to offices may be relaxed, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on Tuesday (Dec 15).

"The multi-ministry task force has been discussing whether restrictions on returning to offices can be further loosened," she told reporters in Chinese after a visit to Singtel.

"Some announcements will be made in the near future soon. We need your patience to wait a little bit more."

Mrs Teo's comments came a day after the Government announced that Singapore will move into phase three of its reopening on Dec 28.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/jobs/mom-to-announce-updates-on-returning-to-offices-in-phase-3-soon-josephine-teo

Edited December 15, 2020 by Raubern

[1fast1]

1 hour ago, Adrianli said:

I used to play the Cornet and Sax. Then went on to Drums. 

Sadly I only know how to play my organ. 😔

[Weez911]

Not surprised at all at the dorm numbers. I'm not a left wing fanatic but the dorms were the most conducive environment for virus to spread rapidly. Luckily they are all very young and that kept the death toll low...

By the way, they have kind of achieved herd immunity in the dorms. 

[Kopites]

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tracetogether-tokens-not-compulsory-for-students-when-schools-reopen-in-january

If my memory serves me right there was some sort of announcement come Jan 2021 students must use tokens.

31 dec all safe entry by QR and identity card will be cease.

So now bring forward to next year with no definite date set?

No wonder indian Prata without egg prices increased from 70 cents to a dollar.😟

 

 

[Didu]

2 hours ago, Raubern said:

Looks like WFH may end soon for most people

SINGAPORE - Restrictions on workers returning to offices may be relaxed, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on Tuesday (Dec 15).

"The multi-ministry task force has been discussing whether restrictions on returning to offices can be further loosened," she told reporters in Chinese after a visit to Singtel.

"Some announcements will be made in the near future soon. We need your patience to wait a little bit more."

Mrs Teo's comments came a day after the Government announced that Singapore will move into phase three of its reopening on Dec 28.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/jobs/mom-to-announce-updates-on-returning-to-offices-in-phase-3-soon-josephine-teo

Ooi!!..Cannot cannot. Problem here. I forgot the way to my office liao. 😨

[Ody_2004]

Saw a convoy this morning at ECP near Sheares bridge consist of 2 refrigerated TEU and police cars front and back.. the back police car is like those SWAT team one..  Aetos motorcycle escorting the convoy.. heading towards west..

What caught my eye is there's a container truck with the convoy without any trailer.. so i guess is this is on standby incase one of the two breakdown..

My guess is they transporting vaccines..

[Sosaria]

1 hour ago, Kopites said:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tracetogether-tokens-not-compulsory-for-students-when-schools-reopen-in-january

If my memory serves me right there was some sort of announcement come Jan 2021 students must use tokens.

31 dec all safe entry by QR and identity card will be cease.

So now bring forward to next year with no definite date set?

No wonder indian Prata without egg prices increased from 70 cents to a dollar.😟

 

 

Most likely not a relaxation of requirement but more of a logistic issue. Cannot get enough tokens out to the schoolkids in time.

[Sosaria]

4 hours ago, inlinesix said:

Today, 1 case in Dorm.

Local cases RESET AGAIN.

And there is still plan to try allowing them back to the community. How to be possible? All it takes is one fw to one maid, then one local family kena already

Spreading out their living spaces with more dorms may help to slow the spread of infection but the habit of congregating in their free time is still there.

[inlinesix]

23 minutes ago, Sosaria said:

And there is still plan to try allowing them back to the community. How to be possible? All it takes is one fw to one maid, then one local family kena already

Spreading out their living spaces with more dorms may help to slow the spread of infection but the habit of congregating in their free time is still there.

Last Sunday, the field btw Geylang and Kallang Airport Way is filled with FW having picnic.

 

[Yewheng]

Now there is a problem. As we know people are just very kai su, like to chiong to be the 1st or what. 

 

See the last weekend hotel queue, the trace together token queue, buying for new launch iPhone queue and etc.. 

 

So this one is vaccine, surely will expect a lot people to want to chiong to be the 1st or they just cannot wait. Later the queue to get vaccine very long. Hopefully government is going to anticipate that and come out with a system to ensure that people do not rush altogether to want to be the 1st few to get vaccine. 

[inlinesix]

3 minutes ago, Yewheng said:

Now there is a problem. As we know people are just very kai su, like to chiong to be the 1st or what. 

See the last weekend hotel queue, the trace together token queue, buying for new launch iPhone queue and etc.. 

So this one is vaccine, surely will expect a lot people to want to chiong to be the 1st or they just cannot wait. Later the queue to get vaccine very long. Hopefully government is going to anticipate that and come out with a system to ensure that people do not rush altogether to want to be the 1st few to get vaccine. 

Kiasu ppl are welcome to cheong.

Tio COVID19 then orbigood.

[Sosaria]

1 hour ago, inlinesix said:

Last Sunday, the field btw Geylang and Kallang Airport Way is filled with FW having picnic.

 

Still having this problem at this area??

Well, what to do, these days cannot criticize them at all

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/yaacob-ibrahim-apologises-facebook-remark-foreign-workers-gathering-near-kallang-mrt?fbclid=IwAR3qKNYBk37fGrODdm7MDbekI_XRIhDVcGGjYJ5cfivQZEObKuvg40QigrU

 

Just wait for the next case then if old habits can't change. Virus don't understand sensitivity.

Edited December 15, 2020 by Sosaria

[Zxcvb]

So when will full ERP be back on??

[Tohto]

14 minutes ago, Zxcvb said:

So when will full ERP be back on??

Likely Jan after school start.

[Yamapi]

6 hours ago, Raubern said:

47% of FW in dorms had Covid

Almost half of migrant workers living in dormitories have had a Covid-19 infection, the authorities said on Monday (Dec 14).

As of Sunday, 54,505 such workers have tested positive for the virus via a polymerase chain reaction or PCR test.

Another 98,289 had a positive result from a serology test, which checks for a previous infection.

This means 152,794 workers in dorms have tested positive in PCR or serology tests or both.

They form 47 per cent of the 323,000 dormitory dwellers in Singapore, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a joint statement.

The ministries added that serology tests for about 65,000 workers in dorms who had not taken them before were still being carried out. "This will give us the full picture of the infection prevalence among our migrant workers," they said.

PCR tests are used to diagnose current or new infections. Serology tests identify those who have been infected in the past, by detecting the presence of Covid-19 antibodies in blood samples.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/47-per-cent-of-migrant-workers-in-dorms-have-had-a-covid-19-infection-say-manpower-and

Means  98,289 FW were previously infected with covid but were undetected? 

Serology indicates past infection. If they add the serology count to the official stats that brings our covid cases to around 156k

[CremornePt]

On 12/14/2020 at 6:34 PM, CremornePt said:

However, the vaccines does seem to protect and limit people from getting severe illness (or croak), even in those minority of cases where the vaccine doesn't stop the infection.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/covid-vaccine-side-effects/2020/12/12/28fc50ea-3c8f-11eb-98c4-25dc9f4987e8_story.html

"Data from the randomized Pfizer-BioNTech trial showed the two-dose vaccine to be 100 percent effective in preventing severe illness from covid-19."

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/absolutely-remarkable-no-one-who-got-modernas-vaccine-trial-developed-severe-covid-19

"More impressive still, Moderna’s candidate had 100% efficacy against severe disease. There were zero such COVID-19 cases among those vaccinated, but 30 in the placebo group, including one death from the disease."

So, in principle, if everyone gets the vaccine...goodbye bad COVID illness.

Edited December 15, 2020 by CremornePt