Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[Chip Chipperson]

I’ll be honest, after the LT care facilities are fulfilled via Walgreens and CVS, I personally don’t care if they prioritize their own workers. They’re essential employees, anyway, and a lot of them are probably in at risk adult populations with comorbidities. In their busiest stores, they do an awful lot of interaction with the public at large. I feel the same way about the FedEx and UPS staffs most directly tied to the vaccine supply chain. They should be offered a “thank you” for busting their hump to get this thing out there.

I know NJ includes pharmacists and pharmacy employees in the group of medical employees who are eligible for the initial round of vaccinations, so it wouldn't surprise me if other states designate them in a similar way.

 

[_caleb]

Exactly. If a state doesn't trust the FDA approval and votes against authorization or if there is any delay in the state approving it (despite concurrent processes), then you would have hundreds of thousands of doses languishing. Rather than have them sit there and wait, you send them to the places that are going to use them. I'm thankful that there were no issues with the approval processes and NYers have been able to receive their vaccines.

This isn't how it works. States were prepared to review vaccine data at the same time the FDA was reviewing it. There would be no delay, no doses just sitting around waiting for approval before being administered. Trump literally just made that up.

 

[_caleb]

Though the FedEx and UPS staff most directly tied to the vaccine supply chain may be at less risk, then lets say my 90yo father living alone in California, having had quadruple bypass some years ago.

But your 90 y/o father probably isn't handling thousands of packages, flying/driving across state lines, or going door to door in neighborhoods. Also, if FedEx/UPS staff get sick, it could impact the supply chain.

 

[Disney Experience]

This isn't how it works. States were prepared to review vaccine data at the same time the FDA was reviewing it. There would be no delay, no doses just sitting around waiting for approval before being administered. Trump literally just made that up.

If a state does a simultaneous review and either does not complete the review or decides not to approve it when a specific quantity is being sent out to states, I would assume that portion being sent out would be reallocated. Once that state approves it, then it would start getting distribution, but not retroactively. I think this was what was being said. It makes sense.

Now how much specific states vocal declaration of an independent review was in order to weaken Trump's election possibility vs. trying assure an independent from the federal government review of the vaccine, we can only speculate.

I am glad no state has declined the vaccine. Though if they had independently found a reason to do so that was scientifically justified I would have been fine with it and would have looked at their decision. I like science without political influence.

 

[_caleb]

If a state does a simultaneous review and either does not complete the review or decides not to approve it when a specific quantity is being sent out to states, I would assume that portion being sent out would be reallocated. Once that state approves it, then it would start getting distribution, but not retroactively. I think this was what was being said. It makes sense.

Now how much specific states vocal declaration of an independent review was in order to weaken Trump's election possibility vs. trying assure an independent from the federal government review of the vaccine, we can only speculate.

I am glad no state has declined the vaccine. Though if they had independently found a reason to do so that was scientifically justified I would have been fine with it and would have looked at their decision. I like science without political influence.

A state that did not approve the vaccine would not have requested a shipment of it, and that state's allotment would have been distributed elsewhere (or left on the "shelf," waiting for the Federal government to actually place an order for it).

New York requested supply of vaccine and planned to conduct a review simultaneous to the FDA's review. There was no danger of the hypothetical that keeps getting thrown around.

 

[Disney Experience]

But your 90 y/o father probably isn't handling thousands of packages, flying/driving across state lines, or going door to door in neighborhoods. Also, if FedEx/UPS staff get sick, it could impact the supply chain.

That is true. His exposure rate is low. The number of airborne virus particles that the non-endpoint (example: FedEx ramp employees) get exposed to would not be as high as a CVS or Walgreen's worker in my unresearched opinion, but likely higher than my fathers. But if they are young with no comorbidities the risk of serious consequences is much lower.

If there are massive cases within those companies say like what happened to some meat packing companies then I would stand corrected.

I do like some of the companies dedication. I remember a VP of Fedex in the 1990s telling me how their motto of "Every package is a Golden Package" was real important to them. I did not believe him. Within days a coincidental event showed me he was very serious and dedicated to the motto. I was impressed.

 

[Disney Experience]

A state that did not approve the vaccine would not have requested a shipment of it, and that state's allotment would have been distributed elsewhere (or left on the "shelf," waiting for the Federal government to actually place an order for it).

New York requested supply of vaccine and planned to conduct a review simultaneous to the FDA's review. There was no danger of the hypothetical that keeps getting thrown around.

So we agree on what would be the results of the hypothetical, and that the hypothetical did not happen.

Saying there was no danger of the hypothetical does not make sense to me. The whole point of them reviewing it would be to potentially come to a different decision than the FDA or providing independent assurance of the FDA and it's independent review decision. If the decision was different then the hypothetical would have been true and before that decision was made it is proper to consider a contingency plan. Just because the contingency plan did not have to be executed does not make creation of it wrong. How publicly it had to be discussed is more debatable.

 

[easyrowrdw]

So we agree on what would be the results of the hypothetical, and that the hypothetical did not happen.

Saying there was no danger of the hypothetical does not make sense to me. The whole point of them reviewing it would be to potentially come to a different decision than the FDA or providing independent assurance of the FDA and it's independent review decision. If the decision was different then the hypothetical would have been true and before that decision was made it is proper to consider a contingency plan. Just because the contingency plan did not have to be executed does not make creation of it wrong. How publicly it had to be discussed is more debatable.

Yes, that's what I was trying to get at. Unless NY's approval process was all for show, then there certainly was a danger of doses not being sent to NY. But that was NY's plan. If they had said no, then they wouldn't have received the vaccine. It would have been sent elsewhere.

 

[sullyinMT]

I can understand your thoughts, and concur. Though the FedEx and UPS staff most directly tied to the vaccine supply chain may be at less risk, then lets say my 90yo father living alone in California, having had quadruple bypass some years ago.

But your 90 y/o father probably isn't handling thousands of packages, flying/driving across state lines, or going door to door in neighborhoods. Also, if FedEx/UPS staff get sick, it could impact the supply chain.

First, God bless your father for maintaining his independence at 90 after having his chest cracked. Many aren’t so fortunate to not end up on long term care or at the least with family caretakers.
He (and those in similar circumstances) are likely to be prioritized, and rightfully so from a public health standpoint.

The shipments will hopefully be large enough soon that it’s all a moot point and a matter of a weeks, not months, between the essential employees who are offered the vaccines authorized. Valid arguments can be made from all kinds of industries.

 

[GoofGoof]

So apparently the guy on the flight from Orlando did die. Not just a Twitter story. United confirmed the passenger later died at a hospital and did have covid symptoms. They didn’t confirm cause of death. The CDC is involved with identifying passengers who may have come in close contact and the flight attendants are serving a 14 day quarantine now. There was no information that he was at WDW before getting on the plane. The only link to Disney was one of the tweets saying the passenger and family had Disney bags.

A United passenger who fell ill on a flight from Orlando and died had COVID-19 symptoms: airline officials

United confirmed a passenger, who it said died at the hospital, had COVID-19 symptoms but did not confirm he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Disney Experience]

Concerning past posts about vaccine rollout. Mistakes do happen in any rollout, at all levels of distribution. Even at places like Stanford Healthcare:

Blaming a faulty algorithm, Stanford Health Care apologized Friday for a plan that left nearly all 1,300 of its young, front-line doctors out of the first round of coronavirus vaccinations. The Palo Alto medical center promised an immediate fix that would move the physicians into the first wave of inoculations.

Stanford’s turnaround followed a raucous demonstration by some of those doctors, who demanded to know why other health-care workers — including pathologists and radiologists who do not attend to covid-19 patients — would be vaccinated before they are.

Coronavirus: Stanford medical residents, fellows, protest distribution for first round of vaccines

Administrators promise swift response after dozens demonstrate at Stanford Hospital, complaining that too few patient-facing doctors were slotted for initial COVID-19 vaccines.

www.mercurynews.com

 

[Disney Experience]

Another Mecury News article about transmission once vaccinated:

Coronavirus vaccines are proven to prevent disease, but what about transmission?

The first COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S. are proven reduce the risk of serious disease by 95%, but how much they will stem its spread remains an open question.

www.mercurynews.com

I will put a longer quote below in case people cannot or opt not to read article(because they collect your email address to permit article reading):

In the Moderna trials, participants who received the vaccine tested positive without symptoms about two-thirds less often that those who took the placebo, suggesting many fewer people had the ability to transmit the coronavirus. But participants were tested only before receiving their first dose and again before their second; no sample was taken after their second dose, leaving researchers with substandard data that didn’t meet the trial’s protocol.

AstraZeneca, another pharmaceutical company developing a vaccine, showed similar partial findings from its trials in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Patrick Moore, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh who reviewed the Moderna vaccine as part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee, was optimistic about its prospects of controlling “viral shedding” but pushed the drugmaker to collect a third round of nasal swabs.

 

[Disney Experience]

FDA Takes Additional Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for Second COVID-19 Vaccine

Today, the FDA issued an EUA for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 18 years of age and older.

www.fda.gov

FDA Authorization Letter:

https://www.fda.gov/media/144636/download

 

[Kevin_W]

Good news for the moderna vaccine. A friend of mine got his first shot today. It helps make it seem more real/closer.

 

[Disney Experience]

Good news for the moderna vaccine. A friend of mine got his first shot today. It helps make it seem more real/closer.

I assume he got the Pfizer vaccine.

 

[Disney Experience]

For those who are curious on the contents of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines:

From the FDA Moderna Authorization Letter ( https://www.fda.gov/media/144636/download):

Each 0.5 mL dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine contains 100 mcg of a nucleosidemodified messenger RNA encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. Each dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine also includes the following ingredients: lipids (SM-102; 1,2- dimyristoyl-rac-glycero-3-methoxypolyethylene glycol-2000 [PEG2000-DMG]; cholesterol; and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine [DSPC]), tromethamine, tromethamine hydrochloride, acetic acid, sodium acetate, and sucrose.

From the FDA Pfizer Authorization Letter ( https://www.fda.gov/media/144412/download):

Each 0.3 mL dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine contains 30 mcg of a nucleosidemodified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. Each dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine also includes the following ingredients: lipids (0.43 mg (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 0.05 mg, 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 0.09 mg 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine, and 0.2 mg cholesterol), 0.01 mg potassium chloride, 0.01 mg monobasic potassium phosphate, 0.36 mg sodium chloride, 0.07 mg dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, and 6 mg sucrose. The diluent (0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection) contributes an additional 2.16 mg sodium chloride per dose.

 

[DCBaker]

 

[Disney Experience]

Nice dispel of Covid19 vaccine myths :

Covid-19 vaccine can't be safe and other myths

How could the Covid-19 vaccine possibly be safe if it was produced, tested and authorized in record time? There are lots of myths about the coronavirus vaccine.

www.cnn.com

It also shows the many ways the government. companies, and individuals facilitated the speed in which we got a vaccine, without compromise.

Also one of they very, very few people who had a reaction said the following (From the article above):

One health worker who suffered an allergic reaction in Fairbanks, Alaska on Friday issued a statement saying she would be vaccinated again. "Anaphylaxis is a rare but expected potential side effect that is treatable and does not have long term health implications like Covid," she said.
I would get the vaccine and recommend it to anyone, despite my reaction," she added.
"I've seen firsthand the suffering and death of COVID patients and my adverse reaction to the vaccine pales to what Covid infection can do to people."

So even the rare person who had a reaction would (if allowed) take it again.

One other fact I like about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is they prove a delivery method that in a more dangerous pandemic can be used even earlier (at more risk). The time between virus dna sequencing and creation of an unproven vaccine can be very short. Then how much proof you need depends on how much risk is acceptable.

 

[Disney Experience]

For people who want to know the state by state plan, the following article has links to each state plan:

Coronavirus vaccine distribution plans: State-by-state breakdown

Here's a look at what the states have planned for coronavirus vaccine distribution, according to each state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan submitted to the CDC.

www.foxnews.com

For Florida specific plan:

http://ww11.doh.state.fl.us/comm/_partners/covid19_report_archive/vaccination-plan/vaccination_plan_latest.pdf

The graph on Page 11 is a nice visual way to see the expected sequencing of groups for vaccination.

 

[MisterPenguin]

sooo....do those vials on the shelf have a destination???....or...

Why, I'm surprised we're not at a Pfizer warehouse injecting ourselves right now.