Covid-19

[Raks]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/com...e-13515112

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/11/coronavi...-data.html

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5...as-erasing

[Raks]

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54902908

Moderna 94.5%.

So all going to celebrate mid point data? (should not be compared to end point or post market surveillance aka "phase iv".)
Honorary mention: Russian Sputnik "very early data" suggesting 92% effective.

These are positive steps. The key takeaway I see is "no significant safety concern".
The purpose of getting 30k candidates is to determine safety, including safe effective dose. Usually adverse effects are rare (low probability) therefore need a large sample size to study.

By the way, Moderna's vaccine stability is 30 days at "normal" cold chain fridge temp (2-8oC), 6months at -20 oC; vs. pfizer's 10days at -80oC; 5 days at the fridge.
Pfizer product launch team/ communications deserve a medal for being "first" because looks like they need the "first" accolade

[weijian]

Record stimulus, a deleveraged and hungry consumer - sounds like a good recipe for good times to come

Two Worlds: So Much Prosperity, So Much Skepticism

And what’s happened – already happened – is that in many ways the American consumer is in the best financial shape in modern history, with minimal debt burdens and eager to spend their record savings.

https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/two-worlds/

[weijian]

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54902908

Moderna 94.5%.

So all going to celebrate mid point data? (should not be compared to end point or post market surveillance aka "phase iv".)
Honorary mention: Russian Sputnik "very early data" suggesting 92% effective.

These are positive steps. The key takeaway I see is "no significant safety concern".
The purpose of getting 30k candidates is to determine safety, including safe effective dose. Usually adverse effects are rare (low probability) therefore need a large sample size to study.

By the way, Moderna's vaccine stability is 30 days at "normal" cold chain fridge temp (2-8oC), 6months at -20 oC; vs. pfizer's 10days at -80oC; 5 days at the fridge.
Pfizer product launch team/ communications deserve a medal for being "first" because looks like they need the "first" accolade

It looks like Sputnik is 92% effectiveness is certified, and it is the 3rd kind of vaccine (after mRNA and the traditional inactivated virus)

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consume...g-covid-19

How Sputnik's double stranded DNA vaccine works:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021...ccine.html

[weijian]

Let's hope that the Biden Administration does something better than the previous.

Opinion: Vaccines alone won’t solve the pandemic. Here are 3 other things we must do.

To effectively manage current and future variants, we need a three-pronged response that goes beyond the focus on current vaccines.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/...e-must-do/

[weijian]

The recovery has been largely priced in (I suppose) for many Covid-19 affected stocks. The question is, what if there is an Echo strain that proves to be much more sticky and then deadlier than the current Delta? (although in nature, the stickier the virus is, the less deadly)

Israel says Pfizer Covid vaccine is just 39% effective as delta spreads, but still prevents severe illness

Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is just 39% effective in Israel where the delta variant is the dominant strain, according to a new report from the country’s Health Ministry.

The two-dose vaccine still works very well in preventing people from getting seriously sick, demonstrating 88% effectiveness against hospitalization and 91% effectiveness against severe illness, according to the Israeli data.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/delta-va...lness.html

[Ben]

The recovery has been largely priced in (I suppose) for many Covid-19 affected stocks. The question is, what if there is an Echo strain that proves to be much more sticky and then deadlier than the current Delta? (although in nature, the stickier the virus is, the less deadly)

I fully agree with your viewpoint here. The longer this drags on, the higher the chance that a new variant may emerge that makes the current vaccine ineffective.

[Wildreamz]

It is extremely unfortunate that there are so much misinformation and politicization of the vaccine, that leads to serious vaccine hesitancy. 

That said, people who are concerned would be able to get the vaccine, and people who are not, will eventually get the disease and either die from it, or get natural immunity.

Both groups are starting to act as though COVID is over, in terms of social behavior and economic activity.

Although cruel, the path to the end of the pandemic is getting clearer.

Unfortunately, the biggest victims are those that are unable to get the vaccines (people in developing nations, children, and people with specific medical conditions etc.); some children do develop serious illness and long-term conditions when contracted COVID.

2 things I'm watching in the near term that may improve current situation: increasing vaccine availability in developing nations; clinical trials of vaccines for children under 12.

[weijian]

Pfizer takes the headline again with a high efficacy rate for its treatment pill (trump Merck's 50% that was announced 1-2 months back). Granted the sample size is low but I think the sampling is probably representative enough for the population and wouldn't deviate too much.

In time to come, could we be seeing that high risk patients be given these covid-19 anti viral pills by default, to reduce the risk of death or ICU hospitalization?

Pfizer says its antiviral pill slashes risk of severe COVID-19 by 89%

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthc...021-11-05/

[Wildreamz]

Great development. I agree with market reaction.