It’ll Be Grand

at

This afternoon.

The European Medicines Agency has said the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the risks.

Use of the company’s one-dose vaccine was temporarily halted by US regulators last week after a small number of blood clots were reported.

After you, etc.

COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen: EMA finds possible link to very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets (EMA)

EMA: Benefits of J&J Covid-19 vaccine outweigh risk (RTÉ)

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41 thoughts on “It’ll Be Grand

  1. Micko

    As far as I know (open to correction) this vax and the AstraZeneca one use a similar delivery method. They use an adenovirus to deliver a complete part of the DNA of COVID-19

    Interesting that they both seem to be the ones causing issues.

    1. Nilbert

      Thank you Doctor, could you perhaps expand a bit more on the nature of the delivery method and what particularly interests you?

      (ffs…)

      1. Micko

        Ah. The old “you have to be a doctor to be interested in medicine” bit.

        I like cars too. Do I have to be a car mechanic to think about those too?

        I also like food. Again do I need to be a chef too… ah you see where this is going.

        Incidentally, I have a science degree Bert… it might be from the 90’s – but it still counts ;)

        So yeah… I’m interested.

        1. Nilbert

          fair enough Micko.
          I suppose I’ve just had enough of the ill-informed guff on here. Not so much from you, you seem to just wildly speculate and express what you feel about how science might possibly work. A harmless oul divil, much like myself at times.

          But there seems to be an army of dangerously ill-informed posters on here lately, and the editorial policy taken a decidedly swivel-eyed direction.
          Its a pity, this place had the makings of a decent independent forum at one time.

          1. Micko

            Fair enough man. Not too worry. No harm no foul.

            Although I hate the phrase “harmless.”

            I could cause harm, but I choose not to. ;)

            Anyway, I think all the people going on about Covid stuff all comes from the same place.

            Worry.

            Worry about what is happening to our society. What will happen in the future.

            We all want what’s best for everyone, we just seem to have different ideas on how to get there.

          2. Frank

            people having opinions and views of their own I feel is where modern society really fails. we should all just blindly fall in lockstep with ‘experts’ as they right and we invariably are wrong or dangerously ill-informed about forming these fanciful ‘opinions’ which affect our lives and our children’s lives. experts in all fields should be trusted totally without scrutiny and we ‘gobshites’ should simply get on with it.
            you’ve made an excellent point here citizen and if it’s not above my station may I commend you. I hurry to add I am not an analyst or opinion former in any respect. woe be I for such a transgress. mea culpa

        2. Oro

          Hazarding a guess that it’s one of the bachelor of science degrees that they handed out alongside a architecture or building technology / engineering primary degree? More of a higher diploma? I have one of those so no offense meant but tbf you don’t seem like the scientific type. Correct me if I’m wrong ;)

          1. Micko

            Alas my dear, you would be wrong.

            I had to wear the old white coat and everything. Not flattering. ;)

            One of my lasting memories was of a goth loving classmate running around the lab with the intestines of a freshly dissected rat around his neck and trying to wear the same poor rodents kidneys as earrings, in an attempt to freak out some of our more squeamish classmates.

            He was a weird dude.

            Good times…

          2. Oro

            Happens to the best of us ;) enjoyed the rodent tale (tail?) – as you say, the 90s were an unusual time.

  2. Bob

    Gov with covid: Do not leave your house. No killer haircuts.

    Gov with killer vacinne: It’s grand. It’s ultra low risk

    Why couldn’t they apply the common sense approach with the vacinne to Covid. Barbers and hairdressers should always have been open and click n collect too.

      1. millie bobby brownie

        I agree that the editorial shift over the past year is not to my taste at all, and I think it’s undoubtedly reflected in the comments as well as the posts, and it’s definitely a pity because the site feels the poorer for it.

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Yet, if you sift through and jettison a lot of the comments, which isn’t that hard to do, you’ll find that both sides of the arguments get a fair podium. And that’s something you won’t get in the mainstream media. And that’s why no one really leaves here.

          1. millie bobby brownie

            That’s not been my experience of it Giggs, not at all, and while I will always applaud broadsheet for going the road less taken in terms of what they cover, I think there has been a real and palpable change in the tone of the posts as well as the content, nevermind the absolute warzone the comments section has become, and that’s absolutely fine – but just not really my cup of tea.

          2. GiggidyGoo

            The content here has been the issues of the day. Unfortunately, and everywhere you look and read in the media, one subject takes precedence. That’s covid. That’s the past 16 months. Day in day out. Yes the comments have got very personal, and the section can be taken over at times by a few posters (myself included, but not instigated), but jettison what you know isn’t of interest.

          3. millie bobby brownie

            I see your point Giggs, and I’ve made the same one myself in the past, funny enough. I’ve been filtering my content and comments for a long time already, to be honest. Who among us hasn’t blocked out Charger’s orgasmic adulation of the UK or Nigel and Clamp’s marathon debates about trans rights?

            But tbh, circumstances in my personal life were at a point that for my own mental health, I needed to step away from pretty much all social media – and the break has certainly offered me some perspective. I’ve come to the conclusion that the current editorial slant being taken is just not for me. So while I will still read and comment here, it will just be occasional and enjoyable as opposed to regular and stressful.

          4. Bitnboxy

            While I admire GiggidyPox’s candour in exposing some of their own failings and behaviour on the comment forum, I would quibble with the spurious claim that Giggidy doesn’t instigate some of the nuttery on here. I mean, come on, Giggidy you are always up for a good bit of robust (some might say deranged) sparring on the comments.

            Broadsheet has always attracted trolls. For me, Giggidy is perhaps the nearest thing we currently have (Boxy and Giggidy became known as an infuriating double act with Boxy bringing out the worst in Giggidy) although nowhere near as funny and bungling as the infamous ABM of yore. As for Charage, I do think he is ignored by most and attracts more sympathy than ire. I certainly think there is not much going on there.

            Needless to say, I just breeze in and out and comment the odd time on things that pique my interest (or to drive Giggidy around the twist – a furious riposte is guaranteed) but one thing is for sure, this site should never ever be taken seriously or as some barometer of public opinion, certainly given the depressing Bodgeresque shift in editorial tone.

  3. Daisy Chainsaw

    Chicken lickens screaming at the sky again! Every drug has the potential to cause dangerous side effects
    Read the information leaflet that come with any drug – Here’s paracetamol, for example
    Stop taking paracetamol and see a doctor or go to a hospital straight away if:
    You get swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, face, lips or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing. You could also notice an itchy, lumpy rash (hives) or nettle rash (urticaria). This may mean you are having an allergic reaction to paracetamol.
    You get serious skin reactions. Very rare cases have been reported.
    Tell your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following side effects gets serious or lasts longer than a few days:
    You get infections or bruise more easily than usual. This could be because of a blood problem (such as agranulocytosis, neutropenia or thrombocytopenia)

    Sher Jaysus, why would you risk your life taking something as potentially harmful as paracetemol!?

      1. Daisy Chainsaw

        It’s all big pharma though, isn’t it?! Why do you trust some things they say and not others?

      2. Cian

        Not a good example:

        The covid vaccines (2020) have been rigorously tested and the test documentation is available to see.
        This site explains all this and links to the testing and trials. https://covid19.trackvaccines.org/country/ireland/

        Paracetamol (1886) had little or no testing and was quickly removed from use as it had serious side-effects. It wasn’t until 1950 that it was “rediscovered”, rebranded, sold and then quickly removed from the market because of more side effects. It was gradually reintroduced as a prescription drug. It has some serious side effects.

        The main difference isn’t testing but that Paracetamol has been around and in use for 70+ years and there have been lots and lots and lots of people killed or injured by taking it – leading to more restrictive use.
        The Covid vaccines are new and there hasn’t been time to see if there are long-term effects. Just like every other new drug. We just don’t normally give new drugs to huge % of the population.

  4. Dr.Fart

    they keep saying “cases” and “blood clots” .. those cases are deaths. When you get a blood clot you die. Advocates for the vaccine like Varadkar saying the positives outweigh the risks are just saying “it doesn’t matter if 5 to 10 people die once the rest are vaccinated” .. he’s shown himself to be emotionally cold before, and the rest of the government are hardly the most concerned people on public health either. AZ have been messing around since the start, and the only vaccine that is killing some people. So just stop doing business with them. there’s lots of other vaccines, just use them and get rid of that crowd, they’re the worst.

      1. Cian

        How dare you question him, he’s a doctor!

        If Dr Fart says when you get a blood clot you die, then when you get a blood clot you die.

    1. SB

      Johnson & Johnson: 6 cases of clots, 1 (ONE) death, after nearly 7 million doses have been administered. The chances of being struck by lightning are greater (1/15,300 in a lifetime).

      1. Dr.Fart

        well, you can have your fictional son of a fictional god, and I can have my science. And we’ll see how that works out

          1. Dr.Fart

            You wish! try do 7 years in medicine school first. See if you have the guts and smarts for that. I doubt it.

  5. M

    I’ve just found out that in the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, the control group receives a meningitis and septicaemia vaccine as a placebo.

    And, as pointed out in the BMJ, in the Pfizer and Moderna efficacy claims data there were “3,410 total cases of suspected, but unconfirmed covid-19 in the overall study population”.

    I’m not sure what the latter means but seems highly suspicious that they didn’t bother to PCR them.

      1. GiggidyGoo

        Are you doubting M?

        A quick google search will bring up what M has written about “the control group receives a meningitis and septicaemia vaccine as a placebo.” In fact, if you put that phrase into google you’ll find information quick enough.

        ‘https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-vaccine-why-its-important-to-know-whats-in-the-placebo-146365 is just one result.

        1. Cian

          No, I was looking for clarity.

          Sentence 1 of that link “”Some researchers conducting clinical trials on a COVID-19 vaccine have not revealed to the public what the placebo contains, but they should” is just wrong they are all available for the covid vaccines on one website. https://covid19.trackvaccines.org

    1. alickdouglas

      Genuine question, what’s the point you’re making about the meningitis vaccine? There’s a general principle in vaccine trials–and drug trials generally–that subjects are not given a placebo as it is of no benefit. In all the trials I’ve contributed to we’ve made efforts to find an appropriate comparator that doesn’t mess up the analysis, but gives the subjects something potentially worthwhile (technically, a saline shot is a placebo, an active shot is termed a ‘comparator’). I don’t have the docs in front of me, so maybe my memory is playing tricks on me but I think the Phase I and II Oxford trials were run with the Meningitis comparator, the Phase III was run with placebo.

      Again, perhaps my faulty memory, but Pfizer and Moderna wrote their protocols pretty early, and before the case definitions for COVID disease included PCR. At the time of writing, COVID was usually diagnosed clinically not via PCR. I think the J&J protocol required PCR on all cases.

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