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Re:Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine approved for use i... by NicoJuicy on Wednesday December 30, 2020 @06:15AM (#25580742)
Belgium is going to investigate smaller doses to go faster too.

It looks really promising, but investigation is required.

Re:Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine approved for use i... by bbarnett on Wednesday December 30, 2020 @11:19AM (#25582949)
We tried the same thing, in Canada, with the yellow fever vaccine. There were shortages about 6? 7? years ago, and 1/5th dosage was consider a stop-gap, by conveying some immunity.

(And, better outcomes overall, too)

Not sure how all of that wound up, but:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/yellow-fever/mediacentre/qa-...

edit: For clarity, there wasn't an outbreak in Canada, but just shortages if you wanted to travel, and needed the vaccine.

Re:Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine approved for use i... by zamalek on Wednesday December 30, 2020 @01:27PM (#25584409)
> just shortages

I had the yellow fever vaccine last year in America. I received an, otherwise identical, Europe-manufactured vaccine instead of an American one because the shortage is on-going.

Re:Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine approved for use i... by bbarnett on Wednesday December 30, 2020 @03:41PM (#25585837)
Supposedly identical, yet the European one (French?) wasn't approved for use in Canada yet.

Your response made me think back to my research a few years back. Mostly, because I am surprised that there are STILL shortages! For more than half a decade?!

Found this:

https://www.ashp.org/Drug-Shortages/Current-Shortages/Drug-S...

Quote:

Sanofi Pasteur has YF-Vax multi-dose vials and single dose vials on back order and the company estimates product will be available in 2021.[1]

Sanofi Pasteur has worked with FDA to make another vaccine, Stamaril, available in the US under an investigational new drug program. Stamaril is yellow fever vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur in France. It is not licensed in the US.

This, I recall. I also recall some more research, which I cannot find now, in that there were different production methods between the two vaccines. Hence, the lack of quick approval. Yet Yellow Fever is crazy spreadable! And still the vaccine is not fully approved in the US/Canada?!

I recall reading a report, where one person with yellow fever was briefly in an airport lounge. 20 minutes later, a few people passed through, and most caught it! Just... it makes COVID look like a joke, yet here governments are dragging their heels over approvals due to production methods over the same strains?

And those production methods / that company has been making and administering that version for decades? To hundreds of millions?

It really makes you think a bit about COVID approvals. Talk about a change of heart.