COVID Update November 25: Why I will be taking a vaccine and why I hope you do too. 1/
By December 13 or soon after, vaccines will likely be ready to roll out. Tens of millions will be ready to go. Month by month. First to health care workers, then to nursing homes. Then to other high risk populations. 2/
There are milestones to get there and data to review but preparations are underway. I talked with scientists & distributors today.

There is an impressive level of preparation to make all the logistics happen. 3/
But the vaccines effectiveness isn’t dependent on the scientists alone. It’s also dependent on us.

So what should we do & why. Here’s why I am.
1/ I’m going to take the vaccine for other people. Pregnant women, younger kids & 7% of adults (immunocompromised) won’t be able to take a vaccine early.

If I don’t take it, I’m endangering them. They are counting on us or they are in real danger.
2/ Tens of thousands of brave healthy people around the world agreed to participate in these clinical trials. Over 90% effectiveness compared to people who didn’t. That’s frankly great.

It will honor their participation to follow. And keep us from getting sick!
3/ The spike protein in the virus had been an easy target for the vaccines to attack. I don’t know why I would want to get sick to get immunity.
4/ Long haulers— I have met and talked to so many. They would tell you “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Take this vaccine. You don’t want this virus.

(Anyone know where we’re supposed to look a gift horse?)
5/ I prefer science to Scott Atlas. Sorry Scott. I’m not willing to let people get sick & just “live their lives.” Scott, you and your Great Barrington Manifesto are welcome to be last in line.
6/ I love 4th of July. Many Americans are going to BBQ either way. But many of us will if it’s safe. If 70-80% of us take the vaccine, you can pretty much invite anyone you want. (Scott Atlas, the Rudy Giuliani of medicine, not invited)
7/ Because in the end, the FDA avoided Trump’s attempts to play politics with our safety. Thank you @US_FDA career professionals.
8/ Vaccines are our greatest inventions. As much as viruses are scourges & will always be here, vaccines are our friend.

Before the measles vaccine, it killed millions of kids every year. About that gift horse we should not be looking at.
9/ Because 1.4 million is too much. Let’s stop this madness.
10/ Because it will be a communal and healing experience. To wait our turn. To make sure the people who need it the most get it first. To do something as a country all at once. To watch the herd immunity build in all of us.

To crush this bug, we need to all do it together.
11/ Because we will be the first generation to take a giant bite out of COVID-19 so other generations will have it easier. Stomp this out so the future doesn’t have to worry about this.

Nip this thing in the bud.

But still about the gift horse. Still don’t.
12/ Because doctors and nurses have been carrying the load. Because “essential workers” are being abused. Because every moment we wait puts other people at risk.

I’m vaccinating for them. And it’s literally the least I can do.
13/ There looks to be early evidence that the vaccines likely reduce contagion.
14/ Almost every complication shows up within 2 weeks. So far the mild side effects are the ones you want// the ones that show it’s working.
15/ If these vaccine candidates had failed we would be in a tough spot. If we had 50% vaccines like influenza we would have been disappointed. Immunity would have taken much longer.
Vaccines are something we do for each other as much as ourselves.
Sure I’m going to look at the data. Yes I’m going to invite experts on “In the Bubble” to evaluate it & analyze it. I’ll be the first to scream & holler if there’s risk or something that doesn’t look right.
I will have people examining every aspect of distribution and after the evaluation committee meets, I will have Anthony Fauci on.
Some people don’t trust anything. I don’t live that way. Some people believe in wild conspiracies.

I’ve seen the machine & it’s not clever & coordinated enough to hide a conspiracy.
Vaccines aren’t politics any more then masks are politics. They are a part of a social pact when done the right way & all the info is public.
This is an individual choice but with society wide consequences. It will show what we’re made of. /end

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Andy Slavitt @ 🏡🇺🇸

Andy Slavitt @ 🏡🇺🇸 Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ASlavitt

23 Nov
COVID Update November 23: With the vaccine progress today, what the heck is Warp Speed for real? It’s a great story but not what it appears.

Later today, I will finish a thread on this from where it started.
What is Warp Speed? Is it really a success? Who deserves credit? Where would we be without it? What did we learn? 2/
First let’s be clear on our accomplishment. From January 11 when the sequence for the virus arrived from China to December 13, when needles will start to enter arms, only 11 months passed.

This can be a 7 year process. Or worse— HIV & the common cold have no vaccine. 3/
Read 20 tweets
23 Nov
BREAKING: AstraZeneca/Oxford announces effectiveness data that is 90% effective in 2 dose regimens.

This is huge news because @UniofOxford intends low cost worldwide distribution.
3 billion doses worldwide planned
Effective against severe cases and moderate
Safety data to come but one investigator who has seen prelim data told me no concerns
No profit venture
Can be refrigerated for easier distribution
Manufacturing in 10 counties
*Some evidence that it also reduces transmission*
Tested in 2 diff doses (on 90%, one 62%)
Read 4 tweets
22 Nov
COVID Update November 21: The US vs. Europe. What’s different about this wave.

I spoke to the head of one of the national European health systems this week.

Here are 7 key differences. 1/
I was doing an interview with the @StarTribune in Oct when I was asked a tough question.

“Andy, you say the US can be down to near 0 cases in 6 weeks like other countries in the world.”

“Yes”

“Doesn’t Europe’s spike prove you wrong?”

“No. They’re going to show us how again.”2
I added that these waves may be inevitable, but in the meantime— May to October, we lost 4x the lives they did. 3/
Read 26 tweets
21 Nov
In less than 2 months, he will have no access to call local officials
no access to a justice department
no cabinet
no access to the Lincoln bedroom
no access to intelligence briefings
no ability to direct ICE
no ability to obstruct a COVID response
no authority to build a wall
no government funds or airplane to pay to fly him to rallies
no reason for people looking for government favors to use his hotels
no way to appoint his family to powerful positions
no way to fire government workers for doing their jobs
no military parades
no one saluting him
no pomp or circumstance
no presidential legal protection
no Rose Garden access
no ability to intimidate the press
no ability to appoint a judge

So while he tries to manipulate our democracy, he has the sad awareness that soon all he will be is a legally-troubled Twitter troll.
Read 4 tweets
21 Nov
South Dakota vs Vermont: 2 small states w big differences
-SD: heartless/headless— governor & Hosp ceo say masks are just symbols, no actions
-VT: heart & head— found hotels for homeless, pay low income ppl to isolate
SD: Sturgis rally — infected 10s of thousands or more across country, Gov would do it again
VT: Hazard pay to essential workers who make less than $25/hour
SD— headless & heartless: dismissed meatpacking outbreak. Picked fight with SD tribes for trying to stay safe
VT— head & heart: acted immediately in March, one of slowest times reopen, tests frequently
Read 4 tweets
21 Nov
COVID Update November 21: There is a big ugly COVID divide in this country.

Plus some fascinating distractions. Anyway...1/
On one side of the divide, you work in the service sector, & are a renter, this is COVID:

-You were forced to work,
-12 million job losses
-no paid medical leave
-Student loans, eviction, unemployment protections— all disappearing
-multiples higher death rates 2/
At the end of the year all those protections disappear. Likewise, if you are an independent contractor, you lose access to unemployment— unless Congress acts. 3/
Read 19 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!