PANDEMIC STORIES

A Cavalry Charge Like No Other

Vaccines to the rescue

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A cavalry charge that’s coming, namely the vaccines, at the eleventh hour, but at the moment it must all be considered as merely a virtual one?

Nearly with us, but not quite. Seeing is believing.

Coronavirus Diaries: 30th December 2020

Stephen Powis, NHS Medical Director, went to great pains to thank the British people for their adherence to the rules, particularly the social distancing aspect, on the familiar, though nowadays seldom seen, 5:00 p.m. podium.

Jonathan Van-Tam was at his eloquent best in describing the magnitude of today’s AstraZeneca announcement, with its ratified vaccination success.

He was backed up by Boris Johnson in saying, ‘Not only can we see light at the end of the tunnel, but indeed that tunnel has shortened considerably.’

JVT did say, however, although he didn’t wish to counter today’s success with some darkness, ‘nevertheless there are still some hurdles to overcome.’

He’s right because a significant hurdle is one of the pending supply of the AZ vaccine!

Johnson alluded to the fact that millions will be on stream from March! We have been led to believe that the supply is actually here and ready. Indeed some of it is, but the question remains just how much?

As JVT points out, ‘ the supply materials, of the vials that hold the vaccine itself are made with similar materials that the whole world is in competition for.’

There are scores, if not hundreds of likely vaccine manufacturers all vying with each other for these materials.

The other important aspect when questioned by a reporter again, saw JVT very openly declaring that no one actual knows the answer to this one at the moment.

That question being, ‘ Just how effective will any vaccine be against this and any other new covid variant?’

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

*Van Tam explained that the all important factor here is the production of antibodies.

Each vaccine he says, ‘ Has the capability of producing an antibody ‘soup’ if you will.’

This soup comprises all sorts of different antibodies and I suppose T-cells forming within this soup too?

As a result he said that, ‘ it would have to be either a poor vaccine if none of these antibodies were to be effective against the new strain or improbable that the strain would be completely capable of dodging any of the multitude of antibodies.’

In conclusion he also adds that scientists at Porton Down are in their laboratories examining this very question in minute detail.

The answers will take a little longer in coming back, approximately another two weeks or so.

Diary Comment:

So there we have it, or rather we don’t just yet. We must all be a little more patient before that shot in the arm appears for real. The cavalry is on hold for the time being, pensively considering their charge.

I’ll give JVT the benefit of the doubt, as he is excellent with his story telling. Enlightening the dark world of epidemiology in which he inhabits no end.

An absolutely brilliant job they’ve completed and in some cases still to complete, says JVT , ‘ in tackling what was at this time last year a completely new virus in front of them.’

Further Diary Comments:

*We’ve been led to believe that the unseen one only became visible to everybody in early March, not late December! A moot point?

However, as he rightfully says, it is an incredibly short time span for vaccine development, but as we know, it started well before then. As I’ve previously pointed out to any of you sceptics out there!

The Cavalry used to come armed with sabres and rifles, now they come bearing needles!

*Please find more of my writing exploits to date:

Coronavirus Diaries on Amazon, plus my Trilogy Novel, ‘ The Hologram Revolutionary.’

Paul Smales: books, biography, latest update

Follow and explore his bibliography from Amazon’s Author Page.

Thank you, Paul.