SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Apparently 4 cases in 22,000 is the number that might be expected in any group that size. I’m not an expert on those numbers, but can say most cases will reverse.

 

Would be great if there were statements from the 4 stricken human volunteers.

 

Yes, not a nice condition to have. My uncle had it recently.
But on the other hand it might be another way encourage mask wearing

 

About five years ago, I developed an allergy to a blood pressure medicine that caused my tongue to swell. I drove myself to the ER and everything was fine until the IV benadryl. I remember vision became TV static followed by five heads with someone calling "Mr. Wilson". So I asked 'when can I go home' and they said 'we are keeping overnight' ... and then the shock symptoms convinced me they were right.

Apparently I had a 'bradycardia' incident: (1) heart stopped for 6 seconds; (2) beat once; (3) stopped for 6 seconds, and; (4) resumed beating. Only now they noticed I had atrial fibrillation (AFIB.) Of course I was in the ER, a difficult place to die but not impossible. So what does this tale mean?

It makes sense for me to take the vaccine where there is a nearby ER ... and wait awhile. I'll tell them about my needle-phobia and all will be good.

Bob Wilson

 

Anybody who has ever served in the military can tell you about that.
There's fainters in every large group and there are a small number of people who are susceptible to anaphylactic reactions - that's why our docs always kept an eppy pen handy, and made you hang around for a while after they gave you a shot.

The reason why military folk are so vaccine anal is that IIRC.."The Great War" was the first major US conflict where the enemy killed more of our troops than disease did......and "Trench Fever" (a.k.a. The Spanish Flu) might have given the Bosh a bit of a run for their money at THAT.
We did not have embedded reporters back them and......well....they call it the Spanish flu for a REASON - right?

Fun Fact:
Back when I served, your medical record contained a yellow "shot" card.
Lose your card? (or get it 'lost' for you?)
Get all new shots.

There are certain people you do NOT piss of when you work for dot.mil.
Docs rank high on that list....

My finely tuned Spidey senses inform me that when they did the first human studies for the COVID vaccines, they excluded the floppers and twitchers, and the fainters excluded themselves.....excepting for those needle phobes who are smart enough to use 1700's tech to their advantage....like Bob.

All of this is Ops Normal.

See also:
Autism.
Micro Chips.

 

Because Spain was the first country with outbreaks to report them openly?

 

The mRNA-based vaccines being a novel vaccine, I would think it is rare to have someone develop anaphylaxis against a completely novel allergen, but I guess it is possible nonetheless, maybe on the second dose? It is a form of hypersensitivity reaction mediated IgE that can be severe, potentially life-threatening.

Relating to that, I developed an allergy to something unknown allergen (most likely something I ate but to this day it is still unknown) several years ago with hives and swelling of lips. It was not very severe and OTC allergy medication like Benadryl took care of the symptoms. But my PCP did Rx Epipen just in case. It was covered by my insurance, but the cost of EpiPen has skyrocketed recently and it is now ~$700. We use to carry those in a bag all the time for our kids.

 

Technically not anaphylactic, but anaphylactoid (old term), similar presentation and treatment; mechanism is a bit different.

 

... we certainly didn't want it labeled the Kansas flu, one of several hypothesized sources.

(Fort Riley, the Wuhan of the 20th Century?)

 

Further addressing the mistaken belief of some that Covid-19 hasn't significantly increased the total death rate, here are figures from a neighboring state called out by local news, clearly showing that state's higher overall death toll this year, through November. And the preliminary, known-undercount number through November 2020 already exceeds final official December numbers of 2018 and 2019:






COVID-19 now leading cause of death in Idaho | KOMO

 

Updated, showing today:
2,846,000 deaths in all 2018,
2,861,000 deaths in all 2019, and
2,953,000 to just November 28 in 2020. We are on track to about 3,230,000 deaths, total from all causes, by December 31.

 

Yes I agree it would seem unlikely to be that mRNA component itself but probably one of the adjuvants, stabilisers or preservatives.

There are listings of components used in vaccines on these two websites:

What Goes Into a Vaccine? | PublicHealth.org

Vaccine Ingredients | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

I didn’t know this, as I’m not an expert and never searched on vaccines before! Seems like gelatin is a common cause of allergic responses.

But beware, these are the kind of sites that are frequented by anti-vaxxers!

 

Our UK figures were quoted yesterday at 63,082. As our population is about a fifth of yours, we are in a similar situation.

One aspect we are leading on are the deaths amongst healthcare workers:

This article from July...
UK among highest COVID-19 health worker deaths in the world | Amnesty International UK

By September it had exceeded 620:
Coronavirus: Deaths of hundreds of frontline NHS and care workers to be investigated | The Independent | The Independent

In the first wave, I lost a classmate from medical school who was a GP (family practitioner or PCP) in a deprived area of East London and also a nurse I had worked with for over 20 years. Both were in the 40-65 age group, one was Caucasian, both had no underlying conditions (neither had obesity). In my mind, these were preventable deaths; both taken before their time, both leaving grieving families behind.

We have learnt a lot from the first wave, so there should be *relatively* fewer of these deaths now - say less than 1%.

I still follow the hypothesis that there might be a relationship of the severity of illness to the viral ‘dose’ that the individual is exposed to (some call it ‘viral load’, but that term is ambiguous as it is also used to refer to the amount of virus being produced in the body of a patient). Hence the further potential importance of mask wearing and distancing - that if transmission takes place, at least it is at a lower dose and hopefully will cause a milder illness.

In the first wave in London we saw several examples of a mild illness in the first family member followed by a severe illness in the other family members (possibly explained by this viral dose idea for healthcare workers; that the first person becomes the factory generating and transmitting higher levels to the rest of the family).

So if you find your household in that situation, I would consider trying to implement some kind of separation / isolation if possible (hands, face, space - as much as you can) within the household and open windows, etc. This may not be truly evidence based, but there is no harm and might help; especially if a family member has any additional vulnerability. I know of doctors who caught it and even moved out of their homes to protect the rest of their family.

The other situation we saw were in those who lived alone and came to hospital too late or even never made it. If you are in your own or know people who are, set up some kind of chain of communication to monitor the situation and make sure to seek help early. Too many cases were avoiding coming into hospital and tried to stick it out at home. Getting in early (dare I mention their names - like Giuliani and Trump) can give you the edge. Once a bit of hypoxia sets in, that person may not be thinking clearly and not making the right decisions. If someone (living alone) tells you they are thinking of going in, make sure they actually get there.

Bear these in mind as numbers are going to rise through into January when the seasonal ‘flu peak usually hits us in the northern hemisphere. We need to make it through to the warmer weather in the spring as we enter the vaccine end-game. Best not to catch it badly when the end is in sight.

 

For interest, this is the UK regulator’s advice yesterday on handling allergic reactions to the vaccine:

“DECEMBER 10, 2020
MHRA guidance on managing allergic reactions following COVID-19 vaccination with mRNA vaccine BNT162b2

Chief Executive of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Dr June Raine has released a statement on the guidance to vaccination centres on managing allergic reactions following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination with the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2.

The statement noted that an updated guidance to COVID-19 vaccination centres about the management of anaphylaxis has been issued, following two reports of anaphylaxis and one report of a possible allergic reaction following immunisation.

Dr Raine noted that an Expert Group of the Commission on Human Medicines’ (CHM), attended by experts in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, has been convened on December 9 to robustly review these reports to consider any possible mitigation on the rare risk of anaphylaxis, adding that “anaphylaxis is a known, although very rare, side effect with any vaccine. Most people will not get anaphylaxis and the benefits in protecting people against COVID-19 outweigh the risks.”

According to the updated advice, any person with a history of immediate-onset anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the BNT162b2 vaccine. Further, a second dose of the vaccine should not be given to those who have experienced anaphylaxis to the first dose of vaccination.

“A protocol for the management of anaphylaxis and an anaphylaxis pack must always be available whenever the [BNT162b2] vaccine is given. Immediate treatment should include early treatment with 0.5 mg intramuscular adrenaline (0.5ml of 1:1000 or 1mg/ml adrenaline), with an early call for help and further IM adrenaline every 5 minutes,” stated the updated advice.

“This guidance confirms the precautionary advice to healthcare professionals which we issued [December 8] evening,” said Dr Raine.

“Anyone due to receive their vaccine should continue with their appointment and discuss any questions or medical history of serious allergies with the healthcare professional prior to getting the jab,” Dr Raine added.

Reference: https://bit.ly/342T7pv
SOURCE: Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency”

 

@GreenJuice a couple of questions:

• Could a 'skin test' screen for allergic reactions? - When I entered the Marines, the tuberculosis screen test was a very small needle, under skin test to look for a rash or reaction. I'm wondering if a similar, small skin test might be enough to identify at risk individuals.
• This article claims inhaled is much more infectious than contacting a surface. I'm inclined to agree in ordinary life especially as surfaces often have residual soap layers which should denature the virus quickly. In contrast, touching bodies and fluids of an infected person would be a significant risk. I'm I wandering 'off the reservation?'

Thanks!
Bob Wilson

 

a nurse from the trials said her temp hit 105f the next day.

 

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003294

Coronavirus vaccine: why it's important to know what’s in the placebo

 

Thanks for this article, SFO. It explains what I was curious about regarding a volunteers' ability to
know if he/she got the placebo or vaccine based on side effects.