My PhD thesis was about methods of measuring mechanical properties of rat aortas, so to get material to test I worked with scientists doing pre-clinical drug trials. From what I heard and seen about how pre-clinical and clinical trails are normally conducted, I don’t think it’s possible to guarantee safety of vaccine developed in timeframe so short. It’s terrifying to think about it.
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Sadly, millions of us won’t have any choice. Anyone connected to the health care industry will have to, with no option say no. There is a full set of vaccines we have to have, including the regular flu vaccine every year.
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Of course the people we need the most right now would have yet another avoidable problem thrown at them. I hate to wish anyone ill, but maybe an immediate and severe reaction to the rushed vaccine would stop those pushing it from going through with their plans. Can we point to what is happening with the schools as an example of why we have no confidence in anything fast-tracked by this administration? 
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I worry that any nasty side effects or even the vaccine’s complete uselessness would be kept out of the press and/or hidden in a deluge of misinformation.
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That makes this the time to lean on the MSM to do a better job. Since 45 wants to cast himself as a hero, I’ll bet some of his followers would be glad to participate in a publicized clinical trial. I could just imagine him promoting it like a reality show.
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Likewise and I agree. This situation sucks on so many levels. “The FDA makes it so hard with rules and such. Obviously a deep state plot!” Watch if he doesn’t follow his mentor Vlad the Injector and just declare victory in late October. Releasing an unproven vaccine for general use would put every medical provider in an untenable position of either sounding like you are now parroting antivaxx talking points, or supporting an unethical and potentially dangerous product. Maybe that meteor will take care of it for us? 
@aLynHall That is one way around the numbers game. We just become a huge and involuntary phase 3 trial. What fun! 
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Well, Putin is being sneaky…
It’s done, sure, completely complete, but somehow it is still going to be a “trial” when they ship it to the Philippines on October… Duterte, obviously, is gonna hold off til May…
Phase three clinical trials in the Philippines are due to run from October to March 2021, after a panel of vaccine experts completes its review on Russia’s phase one and two trials in September, Roque told a media briefing.
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Consider this a prescient coronavirus posting. Even though the travelogue-style roll call was arguably one of the best parts of the DNC convention:
Mr. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a group of congressional lawmakers are expected to arrive Monday in Charlotte, N.C., the convention’s host city, for an in-person roll call and for brief nomination speeches.
So they’re getting at least one vector back to each state and territory…sigh.
From here:
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More on possible long-term damage and ongoing healthcare needs for patients who “recover” from COVID-19:
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If only he were in a position to do something about it rather than just speculate and complain, right?
Not just for this specifically - he complains so much about so many things, rattles on about conspiracies, and cites third hand knowledge on things from talking heads on Fox News as truth. FFS, you’re the goddamn president - you have all the resources you can possibly imagine at your disposal. Why are you just guessing and complaining? Fucking do something!
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Well, that’s my worry. That he will circumvent the normal safeguards in place to assure safety and efficacy. Azar of course, predicted this months ago.
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Add to that, often the people he is talking about are his own damned appointees…
" On November 1, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Hahn to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration. On December 3, 2019, the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee voted 18 to 5 in favor of Dr. Hahn leading the FDA. On December 12, 2019, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a 72–18 vote. Hahn was sworn in on December 17, 2019.
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No arguments here - I don’t think he should do this and as @Wanderfound noted I sure as hell wouldn’t trust anything forced through to approval this way either.
This was more of a general statement on the past nearly 4 years of having the ultimate position of privilege and doing little more than complaining about everything.
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People in charge are never to blame.
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What the fuck is wrong with people. I know there are plenty soulless monsters like Whitty. I don’t understand how there are so many people willing to report on this as though it were a reasonable policy position.
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I am not in the business of defending the US admin, and definitely not in the business of downplaying any fuckuppery of any Gouvernment *we are seeing all over the world (I’m literally pulling my hair out over the current German approaches, note the fucking federalistic plural).
However, I recently heard an interview with someone from the ECDC who explained how they and how many pharmaceutical companies were able to speed up the process while not cutting corners. I don’t remember half of it, but one general fact remained which I found easy to remember and to believe. Usually, the process is long-winded, and each step is sequential. Both authorities and companies, however, are currently doing many things in parallel. In many cases, this will mean that dead ends will be hit, as the usual sequential way of getting filings as well as procedures done is done to prevent to much investment in vaccine candidates which later turn out to be useless, or to expensive to produce, or in a strategically difficult to bring to your portfolio on the market. This time, politics have challenged the forces of the market, and manufacturers have been given infectives which, I can only presume, are massive.
I fully expect the US to be on a similar path. To be clear: I also expect a massive amount of incompetence both in the EU and the US, and an outright evil recorder effort to damage existing safeguarding structures and procedures in the US. But there is room to speed things up, I am sure.
That is why I would ask everyone to measure their words regarding the safety of potential vaccines and its political implications.
If we, as a community, contribute to a lesser acceptance of Covid-19 vaccinations, we are all fucked.
And I fear this. We are discussing publicly here, our posts influence lurkers and casuals as well as regulars. This is our platform. We need to use it carefully, and wisely.
I’m not sure how to do that myself.
Yet.
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I’m not against cutting corners where it makes sense - and a lot of what I’ve read from far more knowledgeable commenters here (including yourself) in the changes made to how clinical trials are being performed makes sense to me and doesn’t give me a lot of cause for concern.
What I have a problem with is every advancement being touted as a miracle when it’s just a normal milestone in the process. There’s dozens of vaccines in development, and this is great. I hope one works, but there’s simply no guarantees right now and if anything Trump’s constant meddling only hurts this effort by setting expectations so unreasonably high.
I don’t trust anything Trump does and given how hard he’s staking his political futures on a vaccine I have little trust he won’t cut every corner possible to get an unproven vaccine pushed through.
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