Breaking: Merck will help make Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

Discussion in 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) News' started by Pollycy, Mar 2, 2021.

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  1. Pollycy

    Pollycy Well-Known Member

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    Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...ohnson-and-johnson-covid-vaccine-partnership/

    It is encouraging to see in this story that Merck will be using two of its huge facilities in the United States to perform its functions in this new ad hoc 'partnership' with Johnson & Johnson.

    This should mean that we will see a LOT more of the unique Johnson & Johnson vaccine available to AMERICANS, and a lot more quickly, too!

    The attractiveness of this particular vaccine to me is not just the relative 'convenience' of it being a 'one-shot' solution, but the way it works in the body to immunize you (read the story in the link all the way to the bottom and you'll see what I mean).
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
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  2. Quantum Nerd

    Quantum Nerd Well-Known Member

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    The end result of the J&J and the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines are exactly the same: The synthesis of the covid spike protein as an antigen for antibody production and development of immunity. The J&J vaccine just uses one more step: The mRNA coding for the spike protein has to be transcribed first from DNA. Moderna and Pfizer circumvent this step by injecting mRNA directly. The mRNA that is translated to spike protein, however, is essentially the same in all three vaccines (there might be minor sequence differences that change stability that are probably proprietary information).

    It is, however, a very good thing that we'll soon see a higher production rate of the J&J vaccine. We can't get to herd immunity fast enough.
     
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  3. mentor59

    mentor59 Well-Known Member

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    I think the J&J the preferable vaccine. If I had a choice, this is the one I'd take.
     
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  4. mentor59

    mentor59 Well-Known Member

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    hasn't this ship already sailed?

    We have strains that evade the vaccines and we can become infected after vaccination.

    I don't see this ending.
     
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  5. Pollycy

    Pollycy Well-Known Member

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    The J&J vaccine is my choice, too. It will arrive here in Colorado this Friday. I'm hoping that we low-born "commoners" will get access to it before the end of April. :frown:
     
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  6. Quantum Nerd

    Quantum Nerd Well-Known Member

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    My wife is also in the group that will be eligible last (no co-morbidities, no work-related reasons, too young). Here, rumors are that the next phase (everyone eligible) will start in three weeks. We'll see if this is true. If yes, it will be mayhem when the websites are opened for general appointments. You'll have to be lucky to click at the right time. A few missed minutes when signing up may mean a month delay in the appointment.
     
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  7. Pollycy

    Pollycy Well-Known Member

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    I 'like' your post, but fear you are right about the impending mayhem.

    Since the JJ jab doesn't require exotically cold temperatures I don't understand why they can't just dispense it to individual doctor's offices.... The whole thing would be so much easier to coordinate that way. Every doctor's office I've ever seen has at least a refrigerator.

    That way they could monitor patients for any bad side-effects, too.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
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  8. ronv

    ronv Well-Known Member

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    We may never reach true herd immunity, but with what has been done serious illness and deaths will fall to a level below the flu.
     
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  9. Quantum Nerd

    Quantum Nerd Well-Known Member

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    I don't think it is a matter of distribution, the rate limiting step is that of supply. At the vaccination place where I got my shots, at both times they were not very busy. As an estimate, my guess is that they could easily handle double to triple the throughput. Why don't they? Because they don't have enough doses. The main focus has to be on supplying more doses.
     
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