2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone.
But this has also been a year of very significant medical and scientific achievement.
And now, at least two #COVID19 vaccines are on the horizon.
(a thread)
Many are now asking, how has it all happened so quickly?
...to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective, and to make enough of it for everyone who needs it.
There are several reasons why this timeline has been really cut down for #COVID19 vaccine candidates;
1. There have been enormous levels of investment and scientific and medical research, on a scale never previously seen in vaccine development.
2. because of the high number of new cases of #Covid19 across the world, the vaccine trials were able to quickly measure differences in disease risk between those who received the vaccine and those who got the placebo or dummy vaccine.
3. Many of the processes which normally take place one after the other in vaccine development have instead been running in parallel.
E.g. large scale manufacturing of vaccines started even before the results of phase 3 trials were available.
Regulators and those developing the vaccines started their conversations very early in the process so that the regulators were aware of developments and so that the process of authorisation can now be as swift as possible.
None of these factors imply that safety, scientific or ethical integrity have been compromised, or that short-cuts have been taken.
There are still many uncertainties and barriers to be overcome...
People must be willing to get vaccinated. Our research tells us that the majority have already decided that they will definitely (45%) or probably (28%) take the #COVID19 vaccine when it is offered to them.
Many people will be faced with rumour & misinformation, particularly online.
To counter this, our healthcare professionals will have a central role to play in this process, just as they have been the foundation upon which the entire response to #COVID19 to date has been premised
As we face into Christmas and the New Year, there are many reasons for hope.
Through people’s collective efforts we have avoided to the greatest extent possible the devastating impact that #COVID19 has had across Europe over the past 2 months.
But... we are not through this yet.
This virus doesn’t care that we have done well recently.
It doesn’t care that we are tired or that we are desperate to see our families and friends.
It is no less dangerous now than it was last March.
A vaccine will not have any positive impact on #COVID19 for months to come.
We must continue to #holdfirm; to paraphrase @DrMikeRyan, we need to continue to do all we can to save lives now, not the lives we promise to save next year.
News on #vaccines against #COVID19 is very encouraging. Its timely to remember the fantastic impact that other vaccines have had over the last 200 yrs in Ireland - apart from clean water, vaccines have saved more lives than any other public health intervention @HSEImm@RCPI_news
In 1863 vaccination against smallpox was made compulsory for all children born in Ireland. Deaths fell from 7,550 for the decade to 1880 to the last reported death here in 1907. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1979 – this one vaccine saved 100s of millions of lives globally.
Diphtheria was a very common cause of death among children until the 1940s - there were 318 deaths reported in 1938. With the introduction of a vaccine, the number of deaths fell year on year with 5 deaths in 1950; the last death notified from diphtheria was in 1967. @HSELive
There has very understandably been a particular focus on Dublin over the past few days.
However, most other counties are also seeing increasing numbers of cases of #COVID19. Three in particular are already high and continuing to rise fast; 1/n
Louth
14 day incidence 53/100,000 last Sunday; 102/100,000 this evening
131 cases in last fortnight
Donegal
26/100,000 last Sunday; 84/100,000 this evening
133 cases in last fortnight
Waterford
55/100,000 last Sunday; 89/100,000 this evening
103 cases in last fortnight
It is vital that people in all counties, but in these in particular, do all they can to break chains of transmission over the next 7 days. We are not powerless in dictating the course of this disease; 1. Wash your hands regularly 2. Take a step back and keep your distance
The number of #COVID19 cases that we have now in Ireland is substantially more than we were seeing even just a few weeks ago.
On average over the past 5 days we have reported 96 new cases. Our 14 day incidence now stands at over 23 per 100,000. 1/12
While we are still in a relatively good position compared to many countries, our upward growth rate is now the 3rd highest among EU member states. 2/12
While there has been a particular focus on Kildare, Laois and Offaly in recent weeks, 11 other counties have a 14 day incidence above 10/100,000 – these are Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Tipperary and Wexford. 3/12
ADVICE FOR PARENTS: From the data so far children are the group least affected by #COVID19. We can say that there is a very good chance your child will not be severely affected even if exposed.
However, children may play a significant role in spreading this virus. Parents should try and avoid arranging play dates for groups of young children at this early stage of the outbreak.
If children continue to still mix with other children, the impact of our measures, liking closing schools, will not be as effective as we need them to be.