JNJ Trumps Pfizer in Covid vaccine race
Wishing you a Happy New Year! But with an important message. JNJ Trumps Pfizer in Covid vaccine race
For a number of reasons, including the recent news about people getting the Pfizer vaccine who then get the virus, I am personally skeptical about taking it. This article in the NYTimes, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/health/covid-vaccine-side-effects.html?smid=em-share – which sought to explain why its just fine and nothing to worry about, but left me with more questions than answers.
First off, when we hear about the Pfizer Vaccine it is easy to get the perception that it was developed by the mighty Pfizer with its deep scientific team and know-how. But in fact, PFE had nothing to do with its development. Rather they put up development money for a small German company which consists primarily of one very smart couple who developed the vaccine’s mRNA science, which to the best of my understanding has had minimal success until now.
PFE’s end-game was to get to get their name on on the vaccine and commercial rights. Not to say that they don’t offer important manufacturing and distribution capabilities, but it is not a “Pfizer” developed vaccine. However that did not stop the PFE Chaiman, who IS a marketing genius but NOT a scientist, to use the Pfizer name to promote it and get it fast-tracked to be the first vaccine approved. Not a crime to be sure, but misleading to many. Moderna is also using the mRNA technology and from what I can tell, neither the German company nor Moderna have up until now, produced a commercially successful product. Also not a crime, but all should be aware.
Further, not to suggest that I’m a medical genius, but I have had a good deal of experience digesting the esoterica of various, complex, medical/bio-tech products, so I could explain them to my clients. I found this one to be particularly convoluted to get my arms around and I don’t believe any of the pundits do either. But who wants to cry “wolf” at a time like this? However, I don’t trust it and as your friend I feel I have to let you know.
Contrast that with JNJ’s entry into the mix. https://www.jnj.com/our-company/simplifying-the-science-of-covid-19-how-adenovector-vaccines-work. It is only a month or two behind and will likely be fast tracked, as Trump also gave them $1.5 Billion.
And consider:
- JNJ has a history of developing successful vaccines in their own labs
- Their covid vaccine technology has a long safety record in vaccines for Ebola, Zika, HIV & others.
- It preliminarily looks like JNJ’s vaccine will only require one shot, though they are conducting dual trials with 40,000 people getting one shot and 20,000 getting two.
- It only needs normal refrigeration
- 100,000 people have received JNJ vaccines with this technology in various trials with no serious side effects.
- 395 people in Covid phase I and II trials had encouraging levels of anti-bodies with minimum issues.
- Monkey trials showed high enough anti-bodies to protect them from covid, a good indication of the human response.
- They’ve already started manufacturing on an industrial scale and will have tens of millions of doses ready to go immediately upon approval.
I believe that JNJ is the way to go, assuming they do get approved and plan on waiting for their vaccine. As someone I care about, I thought I should share these thoughts with you.
~Rob
Vaccines Take a While to Kick In. Experts Say That Means the Body Is Doing Its Job.
Reports of Covid-19 cases that appeared shortly after a single shot of a two-dose vaccine shouldn’t cause concern.

NY Times By Katherine J. Wu Dec. 31, 2020
A flurry of headlines this week flooded social media, documenting a seemingly concerning case of Covid-19 in a San Diego nurse who fell ill about a week after receiving his first injection of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
But experts said the sickness is nothing unexpected: The protective effects of vaccines are known to take at least a couple of weeks to kick in. And getting sick before completing a two-dose vaccine regimen, they said, should not undermine the potency of Pfizer’s product, which blazed through late-stage clinical trials with flying colors.
Reporting that a half-vaccinated person has Covid-19 is “really the equivalent of saying someone went outside in the middle of a rainstorm without an umbrella and got wet,” said Dr. Taison Bell, a critical care physician at the University of Virginia. Dr. Bell received his first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine on Dec. 15, and will be getting his second shot soon.
The California nurse, identified as Matthew W., 45, in an ABC10 News report, received his first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine on Dec. 18. Six days later, according to news reports, he began to feel minor symptoms, including chills, muscle aches and fatigue. He tested positive for the virus the day after Christmas.
Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency physician at Brown University, said this should not prompt concern. “So what????” she tweetedon Wednesday in response to a Reuters article on the nurse’s illness. “It’s a 2-shot vaccination.” Dr. Ranney received her first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine on Dec. 18.
Framing the nurse’s illness as news, Dr. Ranney said in an interview, implies that it was a departure from the expected — and that there should have been protection about a week after the first vaccine dose. That’s not the case at all.
Vaccines take at least a few days to exert their protective effects. Pfizer’s recipe is designed around a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA, which, once injected, enters human cells and instructs them to manufacture a coronavirus protein called spike. None of these components are infectious or capable of causing Covid-19. But they act as coronavirus mimics, teaching the body to recognize the true virus and vanquish it, should it ever come around.
The production of spike is thought to occur within hours of the first shot. But the body needs at least several days to memorize the material before it can unspool its full arsenal of defensive forcesagainst the virus. Immune cells take this time to study up on the protein, then mature, multiply and sharpen their spike-spotting reflexes.
The timeline of the California nurse’s illness falls well within the window of post-vaccination vulnerability, Dr. Ranney said. It’s also very likely he caught the virus right around the time he got the shot, perhaps even before. People can start experiencing the symptoms of Covid-19 between two and 14 days after encountering the coronavirus, if they ever have symptoms at all.
A similar situation appears to have recently unfolded with Mike Harmon, the Kentucky state auditor, who this week tested positive for the virus the day after receiving his first dose of an unspecified coronavirus vaccine.
“It appears that I may have been unknowingly exposed to the virus and infected either shortly before or after receiving the first dose of the vaccine on Monday,” Mr. Harmon said in a statement. Mr. Harmon reaffirmed his “full faith in the vaccine itself, and the need for as many people to receive it as quickly as possible.”
Jerica Pitts, a spokeswoman for Pfizer, noted that the vaccine’s protective effects are “substantially boosted after the second dose, supporting the need for a two-dose vaccination series.”
“Individuals may have contracted disease prior to or right after vaccination,” she said.
Pfizer’s vaccine, when administered in its full two-dose regimen, was found to be 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 — a figure that was hailed as very welcome news amid soaring coronavirus caseloads. Still, that leaves a small percentage of people who won’t be protected after vaccination, Dr. Ranney said. “There’s no vaccine that’s 100 percent effective.”
It’s also unclear how well Pfizer’s vaccine can guard against asymptomatic infections, or if it will substantially curb the coronavirus’s ability to spread from person to person. That means measures like masking and distancing remain essential even after full vaccination.
Data collected by Pfizer during its late-stage clinical trials hinted that the vaccine could confer at least some protection after a single dose. But the study wasn’t intended to specifically test how potent a one-shot regimen would be.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician at the Medical University of South Carolina, said a couple of her colleagues tested positive shortly after their first shots. “None of this surprises me, given how rampant cases are right now,” she said. Given the expected delay in the vaccine’s effects, “this should not be thought about as vaccine failure.” Dr. Kuppalli, who received her first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine on Dec. 15, added that getting Covid-19 between vaccine doses should not dissuade someone from getting a second shot, with consultation from a health care provider.
In the past few weeks, more than 2.7 million people in the United States have received their first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine, or a similar shot made by Moderna. Both vaccines require a second injection — and as they are rolled out to more and more people, it’s important to maintain clear communication about how vaccines work, and when, Dr. Bell said.
“For the time being, we should stick with doses the way the trials were done,” he said. “That’s what will get you the maximum efficacy.”
Katherine J. Wu is a reporter covering science and health. She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunobiology from Harvard University. @KatherineJWu
And if you happen to be a fan of Louise L. Hay or other forward thinkers/authors like her, you may appreciate my new journal of life affirming aphorisms called Thoughts to Live By. They are meant to be a tool to start or end the day, or referenced to calm the raging beast when life events throw us off balance, ie: a possibly useful antidote during these challenging times.
Kirkus Reviews, the gold-standard for independent & accurate reviews, has this to say about
What Goes Around Comes Around:
A stable, positive, non preachy, objective voice makes the book stand apart from others in the genre. The author gives readers not just points or principles to ponder, but real human experiences that demonstrate them. A successful guide that uses anecdotes to reveal powerful truths about life.
~ Kirkus Reviews
“A stable, positive, non-preachy, objective voice makes the manual stand apart from others in the genre. A successful guide that uses anecdotes to reveal powerful truths about life.” – Kirkus Reviews
“I’ve read a number of books that focus on sharing a similar message, including “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, “The Answer” by John Assaraf & Murray Smith, “The Celestine Prophecy” by James Redfield, “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill, and I must say that I find Rob’s to be my favorite.” – Sheryl Woodhouse, founder of Livelihood Matters LLC
JNJ Trumps Pfizer in Covid vaccine race
JNJ Trumps Pfizer in Covid vaccine race