Thread by @WheatNOil

So... Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, AstraZenica, Novavax, Sinovac.

Not all are approved yet but it looks like we’ll have at least a half dozen vaccines going around in various parts of the world soon enough.

As expected, each has their own pluses and minuses.

Pfizer & Moderna (mRNA): best efficacy results so far, but need 2 doses, transport at low temps. Won’t have enough for the world (like all the vaccines). Pfizer with 2 billion & Moderna with 1 billion doses or so by the end of 2021.

AstraZenica (viral vector): So far studies suggest not as effective as the mRNA ones but still very good. Two doses. Don’t need super low temps. Said they’d have 3 billion doses in 2021, not sure if that’s still true.

J&J (viral vector): Not approved yet anywhere. Not as effective as mRNA ones, but still very helpful. Prevents severe illness / hospitalizations really well. One dose! Don’t need low temps. 1 billion doses in 2021.

Novavax (protein subunit): Not approved anywhere yet. Effectiveness close to the mRNA ones! Two doses. Don’t need low temps. 2 billion doses in 2021.

Sinovac (inactivated virus): Effectiveness isn’t clear to me but interim results say it’s helpful but not quite at the level of the other vaccines(?). Seems to prevent severe illnesses though. 1 billion doses in 2021.

Variants: Hard to say for sure about the mRNA ones b/c they did their trials earlier, but the vaccines generally seem less effective against the South Africa variant. Enough to slow it down, especially severe illness, but possibly not enough to stomp it out.

A lot of the vaccine companies are taking the South Africa variant and making updates to their vaccines to target it better. The goal here is to keep the SA variant in check, then slam it with a booster shot vaccine in the areas where it’s more rampant.

Remember: the MOST important thing is to get as many people vaccinated as fast as possible with ANY approved vaccine. At the same time, we need to limit spread to prevent variants from spreading too far or NEW variants from emerging.

We’re in the endgame now. But “endgame” doesn’t mean we’re finished. That movie was like 3 hours long, key people died, & they almost lost multiple times.

We have a clear path to victory now. We can’t waver. We can’t let up.

Stay safe friends. Don’t travel.