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Daily WHO Reports for the Coronavirus Outbreak (Link)

This is just for the nerds following the stateside developments, but FDA Director Steve Hahn is now hinting at an October "review" of vaccines, which many are reading as a rushed approval, and it appears Pfizer is set to be the biggest beneficiary of such a development. Pfizer heads are saying that full enrollment in the ongoing Phase-III trials are expected to wrap at the end of this month, and the first results and data-set are scheduled to be released mid-September and more conclusive data by early-October. The FDA's vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to meet on 10/22, but Dr. Hahn's preludes combined with Trump's remarks about getting a vaccine approved "possibly before the election" are causing a lot of speculation about use of the Emergency Use Approval timing. Absentee and mail-in ballots (for all-mail states like my current state), barring some fuck up by elections offices, should arrive shortly after the 10/5 registration deadline, probably around mid-October.

Take from that what you will but I'm inclined to lean toward what I'm hearing from friends in DC. A vaccine (or even multiple vaccines) will be approved by mid-October, and maybe even sooner if the opportunity presents itself to the administration. The Trump campaign has the beginning of a tailwind right now and they're going to milk that fucker, hard. For those of you in less politically-inclined countries that err on the side of caution and won't get the vaccine as early as we MAGA-hat-wearing rednecks, I'll start a thread once I get my shot to document any interesting side effects. If I ever start writing about my deep respect and appreciation for Barack Obama, you'll know the vaccine is royally fucked up and you shouldn't take it.
 
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Keihan said:
This is just for the nerds following the stateside developments, but FDA Director Steve Hahn is now hinting at an October "review" of vaccines, which many are reading as a rushed approval, and it appears Pfizer is set to be the biggest beneficiary of such a development. Pfizer heads are saying that full enrollment in the ongoing Phase-III trials are expected to wrap at the end of this month, and the first results and data-set are scheduled to be released mid-September and more conclusive data by early-October. The FDA's vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to meet on 10/22, but Dr. Hahn's preludes combined with Trump's remarks about getting a vaccine approved "possibly before the election" are causing a lot of speculation about use of the Emergency Use Approval timing. Absentee and mail-in ballots (for all-mail states like my current state), barring some fuck up by elections offices, should arrive shortly after the 10/5 registration deadline, probably around mid-October.

Take from that what you will but I'm inclined to lean toward what I'm hearing from friends in DC. A vaccine (or even multiple vaccines) will be approved by mid-October, and maybe even sooner if the opportunity presents itself to the administration. The Trump campaign has the beginning of a tailwind right now and they're going to milk that fucker, hard. For those of you in less politically-inclined countries that err on the side of caution and won't get the vaccine as early as we MAGA-hat-wearing rednecks, I'll start a thread once I get my shot to document any interesting side effects. If I ever start writing about my deep respect and appreciation for Barack Obama, you'll know the vaccine is royally fucked up and you shouldn't take it.
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lol! At this stage I have as much faith in the American vaccine as in the Russian one. Will wait for a good old Yamato-approved one . Even if it takes longer
 
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Ken1988 said:
At long last, the discriminatory measure is about to end. The J-government will allow non-Japanese residents to reenter the country from September.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200821/k10012576621000.html

Edit: It seems that it applies to all residents with any valid status.
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The details are just out.
http://www.moj.go.jp/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/nyuukokukanri07_00245.html

You need to arrange a re-entry permit before leaving Japan. They also require you to get tested before boarding a plane back to Japan.

EDIT: To be precise, it's not an additional permit that you need to arrange - what you need to do is to submit a "notification to re-enter in the future" 再入国予定の申出.
 
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Keihan said:
I'll start a thread once I get my shot to document any interesting side effects
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I heard it renders alcohol ineffective and induces erectile dysfunction.
 
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Durg50 said:
Surely those are still losing odds in a 2 horse race?
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Yeah, but way better for Trump than just a week ago. The trend is clear and fast. Joe gets 1.85 at the moment.

I don't normally bet but I still follow the odds. As like you said these are people who play with their own money and not some political commentators that have another agendas beside money.
 
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Now it's already 1.88 for Biden and 1.95 for Trump. That means it is already a coin toss: 51% vs 49%. And the trend is now totally for Trump's favour.
 
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MikeH said:
Now it's already 1.88 for Biden and 1.95 for Trump. That means it is already a coin toss: 51% vs 49%. And the trend is now totally for Trump's favour.
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Yep, already within the margin of error. Just wait till post-convention internal polls get underway this weekend. The Biden camp is already panicking and it's going to get worse.

But if you take a look at stateside news, the term "EUA" (Emergency Use Authorization) is now popping up more and more, and today the CDC has begun issuing a warning to the public that the initial vaccine, IF it's distributed, will be in very limited supply. I guess they're concerned that the vaccine political rhetoric is raising unrealistic expectations. At the same time, senior officials at the Dept of Health and Human Services are saying they've got "hundreds of thousands" of each of the top three vaccine contenders ready to go, SHOULD an EUA get issued in October or November. Not the "hundreds of millions of doses" that Trump promised by 2021 but it's a start.

What's interesting is the hot topic is now shifting to distribution, and the biggest story is now revealing how difficult it is to transport the top three--Moderna, Pfizer and Astrazeneca--because they all need to be kept in sub-zero conditions until, literally, minutes before they're administered. Not sure how that works...do they rapid thaw frozen vaccines in a microwave and then immediately stick you? In any event, the fourth candidate, Novavax--which has already proven safe and effective but is apparently still undergoing Phase-II testing, is said to only require basic refrigeration, which has some people speculating that if current trials prove successful they may actually get the first EUA even before they wrap up Phase-III, which predictably will have Democrat political pundits screaming bloody murder and accusing Trump of trying to end the world. Again.

The only thing that bothers me is that the more reasonable of the leftist newspapers is focusing concerns on distribution, and demanding that the new vaccine be distributed "fairly and equitably," which in commie-speak means only to underprivileged black or brown people (after all their billionaire white dot-com and Silicon Valley leftist campaign donors, of course). I'm yellow, under 40, comfortably middle class and a registered Republican gun owner with no criminal record, illegitimate children or history of substance abuse. I guess that means I'm shit out of luck. But it's ok...knowing Trump, he'll probably have a booth administering free Novavax injections at his October campaign rallies. Just gotta find my red hat and make a "RACIST ASIANS FOR TRUMP" cardboard sign so I can sit in the front row.
 
Keihan said:
I'm not a gambler so I don't watch odds much (maybe for Superbowl), but I've always been infatuated by political polls. Maybe I just have a thing about stuff starting with "P." Politics...Polls...Puppies...Porn...Pistols...Pussy. Penis?
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What polls do you follow?
 
namae said:
What polls do you follow?
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Internal polling is kept private by individual campaigns, but in national level campaigns (like for President) there's generally bribery involved amongst top-level staffers that gets numbers revealed to odds-makers (Vegas) and eventually that information makes its way to the savvy public. I tend to get access to that information from my old friends in DC, but that doesn't mean it's accurate and accuracy really does depend on which firms you use and how much you're willing to spend. Otherwise, there's polling done by reputable firms like Rasmussen and Gallup, and historically I believe Rasmussen has been a little more accurate. That said, every single one of those pollsters, firms and odds-makers(and myself and all my GOP hack friends) had Trump losing by a landslide in 2016. That's why I don't trust polls for shit, anymore, and I'm just staying out of it this year.
 
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I've always heard that Poles are good at bowling..........maybe it's the alcohol telling me that.
 
Frenchy said:
They’re good at dancing too
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I don't know about that. There are portions of the American Midwest where just about the entire obese, corpse-white population is either Irish, Czech or Polish--or some combination of the three--and asking those folks to do anything physical or athletic, other than stuff their fucking faces with garbage processed food, would take some sort of divine intervention.
 
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Keihan said:
I don't know about that. There are portions of the American Midwest where just about the entire obese, corpse-white population is either Irish, Czech or Polish--or some combination of the three--and asking those folks to do anything physical or athletic, other than stuff their fucking faces with garbage processed food, would take some sort of divine intervention.
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i was just thinking about... pole dancing :)
 
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Keihan said:
I don't know about that. There are portions of the American Midwest where just about the entire obese, corpse-white population is either Irish, Czech or Polish--or some combination of the three--and asking those folks to do anything physical or athletic, other than stuff their fucking faces with garbage processed food, would take some sort of divine intervention.
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They're not Irish Czech or Polish; they're American.
 
Tabanico said:
They're not Irish Czech or Polish; they're American.
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Don't tell them that, especially the Irish, especially in NYC, especially on St. Paddy's day after they've been drinking. They'll put those BLM rioters to shame.

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st_patricks_day_AP13031605759_fullwidth.jpg
 
On a much more positive and pertinent note, I read an interesting story today, written by some doctor that's part of the Canadian government's vaccine task force, sharing his optimism that a working vaccine could be very near. He reports that the researchers testing the Novavax vaccine, which published their Phase-I results earlier this month, are now suggesting that after the second dose the vaccine can produce FOUR TIMES the antibody levels of those found in individuals actually recovering from COVID. This is also the only leading vaccine that doesn't need to be kept in sub-zero temperature conditions and can be transported in simple refrigeration. Novavax leaders have stated that they intend to apply for FDA approval in December, but again there is recent ongoing speculation that the Trump admin has eyed the Novavax vaccine--with its highly promising results and low maintenance needs--as a prime candidate for emergency approval next month.

If I'm not mistaken, of the companies making the leading vaccine candidates, Novavax is the only one with significant experience in this area, having spent years developing a vaccine for Ebola and were coming close to success late last year before the pandemic hit and they shifted priorities. I read earlier that their current Phase-II testing on approximately 1,500 volunteers heaving enlists those in the 50-85 age range, so if similar positive results come out next month then we truly could see multiple vaccines available by the end of this year.
 
Keihan said:
Don't tell them that, especially the Irish, especially in NYC, especially on St. Paddy's day after they've been drinking. They'll put those BLM rioters to shame.
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For me, Manhattan is more about bagels and matzo balls than anything Irish, and my favorite parade is of the National Puerto Rican Day which is more fun with less booze. In any case, all those origins are what makes NYC NYC.
 
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Ken1988 said:
my favorite parade is of the National Puerto Rican Day
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Christopher St. Halloween parade is by far the best parade in Manhatten.........
 
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Keihan said:
Internal polling is kept private by individual campaigns, but in national level campaigns (like for President) there's generally bribery involved amongst top-level staffers that gets numbers revealed to odds-makers (Vegas) and eventually that information makes its way to the savvy public. I tend to get access to that information from my old friends in DC, but that doesn't mean it's accurate and accuracy really does depend on which firms you use and how much you're willing to spend. Otherwise, there's polling done by reputable firms like Rasmussen and Gallup, and historically I believe Rasmussen has been a little more accurate. That said, every single one of those pollsters, firms and odds-makers(and myself and all my GOP hack friends) had Trump losing by a landslide in 2016. That's why I don't trust polls for shit, anymore, and I'm just staying out of it this year.
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Nice graphics on the Economist ... still some twists and turns before election day....should be interesting and amusing.

https://projects.economist.com/us-2020-forecast/president
 
Told you it was coming, and here it comes. FDA Commissioner Steve Hahn--who previously vowed to never give-in to political pressure and rush a vaccine--is now saying he'd be willing to fast-track a vaccine before Phase-III trials wrap up through an emergency authorization. News started spreading this morning.

Also interesting to note, the three frontrunners--Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca--are all basically wrapping up their Phase-III trials now, so this could be an implicit nod toward the Novavax vaccine I've been mentioning as a prime candidate for an EUA and is still in the early phases of Phase-II trials at the moment.

As always, The Donald gets what The Donald wants. And I may be (supposedly) COVID-proof and pulling my pants down in Kabukicho just after the new year.
 
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