WHO's lead scientist Soumya Swaminathan places chief hope in Oxford and Moderna vaccines
GENEVA (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's <AZN.L> experimental COVID-19 vaccine is probably the world's leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist said on Friday.
The British drugmaker has already begun large-scale, mid-stage human trials of the vaccine, which was developed by researchers at University of Oxford.
This week, AstraZeneca signed its tenth supply-and-manufacturing deal.
"Certainly in terms of how advanced they are, the stage at which they are, they are I think probably the leading candidate," WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a news conference.
The Oxford vaccine has a shaky history, funded to the tune of £90m million by the British government and taxpayer, and already in manufacture in billions of doses, the human trials began in April amid false reports that the animal trials had been successful: the product is arguably commercially too big to be allowed to fail. It also has the advantage that its lead developer Andrew Pollard heads the committee that will advise the British government on its use. Admittedly, last week he was in an apparently non-committal mood in conversation with Prince William:
Prof Pollard highlighted HIV, a virus for which no vaccine has been found because it mutates, saying scientists' great fear was that coronavirus could be the same. In that case, he said 'there is nothing we could do apart from social distancing forever' - a prospect William described as 'frightening'.
Given his position as chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation it may be getting ahead of himself to show too much enthusiasm at this stage, but the world deserves better than this false alternative. Nor would anyone be very surprised if he gives the product the go-ahead when the time comes. As if to make the point director of NIAID Anthony Fauci was reported as saying on CNN yesterday he would settle for a vaccine which gave 70 or 75% immunity.
Swaminathan also has her eye on the Moderna vaccine which goes ahead despite the fact that it passed over animal trials altogether and had a 20% serious adverse rate in its initial human trial, as reported by Robert F Kennedy,Jr. Unlike HCQ it is impossible to see how there could be any true assessment of safety and effectiveness of these products for years to come. And it is hard to see that the WHO is at all interested providing their corporate sponsors are pleased. Both Moderna and the Oxford consortium have the backing of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation among others.
Back in December Swaminathan came to attention because of her contradictory fronts at the WHO vaccine safety summit where she had one message for the public:
"Vaccines are very safe. If someone gets sick after vaccination it is usually either a coincidence, an error in administering the vaccines, or very rarely a problem with the vaccine itself.That's why we have vaccine safety systems - robust vaccine safety systems allow health workers and experts to react immediately to any problems that may arise. They can examine the problem rigorously and scientifically look at the data and then promptly address the problem.
"WHO works closely with countries to make sure that vaccines do what can do best to prevent disease without risks. New vaccines against malaria, meningitis and encephalitis in Asia and Africa are now being thoroughly monitored with support from WHO. Vaccines are one of the safest tools we have to prevent disease and ensure a healthy future for all children."
And a rather more candid one for the conference:
"I think we cannot over-emphasise the fact that we really don't have very good safety monitoring systems in many countries and this adds to the miscommunication and the misapprehensions because we're not able to give clear cut answers when people ask questions about the deaths which have occurred to particular vaccines and this always gets blown up in the media - one should be able to give a very factual account to what exactly has happened and what the causes of deaths are but in most cases there is some obfuscation at that level and therefore there is less and less trust then in the system...
Putting in place the mechanisms, whether they are cohort studies or whether they are sentinel surveillance sites to be able to monitor what is going on and report back and then for corrective action to be taken because unexpected things could arise after introduction and one always has to be prepared as we have seen. You know the history of many drugs you've heard about, I mean learnt about adverse events only after the drugs have been licensed and introduced into the population.So I think that the risk is always there and the population needs to understand that and feel confident that mechanisms are being put in place to understand some of those things."
Perhaps one might add that the monitoring systems in the developed world may be even more efficient at processing out serious events than undeveloped, AND WHAT WE ALL NEED NOW IS STRAIGHT TALKING.
ADDENDUM: It has just been drawn to my attention that Prof Andrew Pollard recused himself from an extraordinary meeting of the JCVI on 7 May (minutes published 18 June) to discuss the COVID crisis because of his conflict as developer of the Oxford vaccine: this may be viewed as a surprise since the Oxford Vaccine Group of which he is director was involved in research or development of manifold products that have been recommended to the schedule by the JCVI, notably in his second meeting as chair in 2014 recomending the Bexsero Men B vaccine to the the infant schedule for which he himself was lead developer. It remains problematic that this situation was acceptable to successive Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care, and to be seen whether the process becomes any more credible as a result (or whether they are just covering their backs). His role has been taken by Prof Wei Shen Lim one of the directors of the controversial Oxford Recovery Trial which included the discontinued trial of HCQ. The website for the trial records.
This trial is supported by a grant to the University of Oxford from UK Research and Innovation/National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and by core funding provided by NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Department for International Development, Health Data Research UK, the Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit, and NIHR Clinical Trials Unit Support Funding.
Aimee,
Thanks for your reply to my comment. It fills me with horror to think of being dependent on "handouts" to that extent, or indeed someone bringing food to your doorstep because you've been accused of having an imaginary virus! I'm sure the government agencies would think that any old synthetic rubbish would be adequate. Maybe that makes it more incumbent on those of us who still retain some autonomy to set an example, raise the standards, tell government that good food is the way to avoid viruses, and then maybe eventually that will come to be the expected standard for people in all circumstances. Unfortunately, there are still many, eg. the disproportionate number of overweight nurses, who think "chemicals good, realfood bad" .
Posted by: Grace Green | July 03, 2020 at 11:22 AM
Laura, Greg, Angus et al
The Chinese have a vaccine about to be used in their military according to Reuters.
right on cue, exactly as expected.
Ian Frazer should be in prison, this is not a debate, its a fact. Margaret Stanely too.
Perosnally I think Oxford and Cambridge Universities should be dissolved for their Eugenics crimes against humanity.
Posted by: Hans Litten | July 03, 2020 at 07:48 AM
@Grace - "People make choices - you can , and should, cut out sweets, cakes, biscuits, puddings and all processed and convenience foods. That leaves a whole lot of money for your healthy organic fresh food. Have you ever heard it said that someone can't afford a television, washing machine, fridge, newspaper or lottery ticket?"
I do agree that many people could make better choices, and could certainly cut out expenses. However, I've done pro bono legal work for the homeless and the very poor and a goodly percentage of those in the US do live in poverty. If you're getting your food at a homeless shelter or from a food bank, it's not likely to be organic.
Also, with respect to government assistance, the US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka "food stamps") provides approximately (on average) $20/person/week which works out to around $1.40 per meal. That doesn't go far when buying organic food. Approximately 40 million Americans received SNAP benefits in 2018, and one's personal/family income has to be pretty low to qualify.
And most of the families I've worked with don't have TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, or newspapers, etc. So there aren't a lot of expenses to cut.
I know you live in England, so things may be different there. This is what I have seen and read in the US.
Posted by: Aimee Doyle | July 02, 2020 at 08:00 AM
Aimee Doyle,
I don't agree that organic food is "simply not affordable" for those on the minimum wage. People make choices - you can , and should, cut out sweets, cakes, biscuits, puddings and all processed and convenience foods. That leaves a whole lot of money for your healthy organic fresh food. Have you ever heard it said that someone can't afford a television, washing machine, fridge, newspaper or lottery ticket? I have for long periods of time managed without all of these, but most people would put them before healthy food. It's about priorities.
Posted by: Grace Green | July 02, 2020 at 06:56 AM
@Tim Lundeen - "If enough people refuse to buy poisoned food."
The organic share of the grocery market is growing, which makes me glad. But perhaps the biggest impediment to greater consumption is the cost - organic food can be almost twice the price of non-organic food. There's a reason Whole Foods is nicknamed "Whole Paycheck." And for people who are making minimum wage, or have high rent or other expenses, organic food is simply not affordable.
I also think there's an education issue - I don't know that enough people are aware of the problems with the current non-organic food supply. And as far as GMOs are concerned, the food industry (and pro-business) policymakers have vigorously fought labeling so that consumers know what they are buying.
Posted by: Aimee Doyle | July 01, 2020 at 09:30 PM
Greg,
I understand what you are saying. I am just disturbed by the fact that this man is still getting press time versus prison time. Nothing out of his mouth can or should be trusted, and his true motives on any issue warrant investigation.
Posted by: Laura Hayes | July 01, 2020 at 01:24 PM
@grace
I totally agree re buying organic. I enough people refuse to buy poisoned food, it would get better for everyone. Some people suggest that 10% might be the tipping point.
Posted by: Tim Lundeen | July 01, 2020 at 01:02 PM
John,
Organic growing increases the fertility of the soil over time, whereas chemical farming diminishes it. Certainly it's a long-term process and people need to be fed today. But I think it would work in successfully feeding the world's population along with population (birth) control. I'm always astonished at the number of people who say the latter would take too long to have an effect (they've been saying that to me for nearly fifty years!). It can start to take effect from today, and we are each empowered with an equal responsibility to choose this remedy. I always buy organic groceries, and if I have to choose between Fair Trade and organic I go for the organic because the growers get a better price for their produce as well as not having to poison their own land on my account.
Posted by: Grace Green | July 01, 2020 at 10:48 AM
"We've never made a successful vaccine ..".
the article should end right there.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | July 01, 2020 at 10:47 AM
Laura, I share your resentment, but parts of the article also read as confessions.
Is this adverse effect that Professor Frazer described only witnessed with past corona vaccines -- or others?!
Posted by: Greg | July 01, 2020 at 09:35 AM
Greg,
It was hard for me to read past this at the start of the article:
“Professor Frazer was involved in the successful development of the vaccine for the human papilloma virus which causes cervical cancer — a vaccine which took years of work to develop.”
What the vaccine has succeeded in doing is to decimate, and in some cases terminate, the health, fertility, and lives of many girls, women, boys, and men, worldwide, with more to come.
Posted by: Laura Hayes | July 01, 2020 at 07:37 AM
Here is a very good article about why developing a coronavirus vaccine is far from a slam dunk and why we should be very concerned about safety.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2020-04-17/coronavirus-vaccine-ian-frazer/12146616
Posted by: Greg | July 01, 2020 at 06:20 AM
So he has John, I wonder if the daughter will follow- plenty evidence against her arguments..
Seen the same evidence in vaccines but has she the guts like Dr Thompson of the CDC..
"found several deficiencies in design, collection of data and their interpretations, and also noted that the important studies were not done".
The authors note some examples from history of unintended health effects from genetic engineering. These include Calgene's Flavr Savr tomato, which was found to cause stomach lesions in experimental rats, and the L-tryptophan scandal, in which a food supplement manufactured using GM bacteria killed 37 Americans and sickened 1500 more.
They ask the rhetorical question of how GMOs can be claimed to be safe to eat when they are not even labelled in the US and thus any resulting harm cannot be traced back to the consumption of any GM food.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | July 01, 2020 at 06:00 AM
Swaminathan Sr seems to have had a change of heart if rather belatedly
https://www.gmwatch.org/en/news/latest-news/18623-father-of-green-revolution-in-india-slams-gm-crops-as-unsustainable-and-unsafe
Posted by: John Stone | July 01, 2020 at 05:15 AM
Tyranny rules for sure Laura all round the world.The chosen can do what they want.Our day will come.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | July 01, 2020 at 04:50 AM
Peggy Hall from The Healthy American is amazing. Have a watch, and be inspired:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9xn_00eCQ&feature=emb_logo
Posted by: Laura Hayes | June 30, 2020 at 09:15 PM
John thanks for the addendum Pollard recused himself You can just imagine them all there at the JCVI meeting all sitting in a room PLAYING THE GAME OF LETS ALL BE IMPARTIAL whose turn is it this time. . Now then children were all pretending to be impartial and one of us here have any conflicts of interest whatsoever. Then sitting down and discussing how the vaccine treasure loot looted from the tax payer is going to be shared. Back in the real world nobody is fooled whilst the government’s allow this. Shame on the Government’s all of them over the years total shame. Kids that should have been something end up a life of nothing. The pretence has to stop its killing kids and millions worldwide.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | June 30, 2020 at 07:18 PM
Angus
Point taken.
John
Posted by: John Stone | June 30, 2020 at 06:27 PM
Jenny looks like Fauci changed again =nothing to do with us if it goes wrong, back on the table if it was ever off..
Fauci issues grim warning: 'No guarantee' of a safe, effective vaccine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_kx6GbkLJA&ab_channel=FoxNews
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | June 30, 2020 at 06:14 PM
John and Grace a book (not cheap) but well worth reading is Seeds of destruction by William F. Engdahl just about every page had my jaw dropped to the floor a few years back.One of the episodes is about the Rice Wars where GM was flooding the market and the babies were being born with defects,cancer etc.Control the food control the people- which they tried to do with COVID when they shut down the slaughter houses just weeks ago but Trump went in and reopended the slaughter houses.
Its a family cash cow and a family lie that this monster Soumya is keeping going in the name of curing a famine and health .Hand picked at the WHO for a very destructive reason some call it genocide,I agree.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | June 30, 2020 at 04:29 PM
Hi Shelley
The Moderna and the Imperial College vaccines are based on RNA technology: I believe the Oxford vaccine is based on a another novel technique in which only a segment of the virus is used in the preparation.
Posted by: John Stone | June 30, 2020 at 02:19 PM
It is so sad to see how Universities are becoming a danger to people and their children as they suck up all of the Pharma and Gates money that they can. People may realize how their science departments OWE it to their Sponsors to conclude what is in the best interests of those that pay them. Whether its MIT working on tattoo chips or Microchips, Oxford working on a dangerous RNA Vaccine which has not been done before, Harvard Professors accepting untold, unreported amounts from China (according to what I read) others, the Universities are fast becoming Frankenstein Labs with a push to "chemicalize" every human that money could buy.
My position had been to support Higher Learning but today it is a slippery slope.
Posted by: Shelley Tzorfas | June 30, 2020 at 01:38 PM
Apparently, there is a locust plague around the world this year.
Posted by: John Stone | June 30, 2020 at 12:01 PM
Grace
I suppose I like to be fair and I don’t know if I had been charged with overcoming the famines all those years ago what I would done, but it surely is not a good long term trade-off. Even with all the insecticide a friend tells me the locusts are bad this year in Delhi.
Posted by: John Stone | June 30, 2020 at 11:49 AM
John,
I read the article Angus linked to. I think it is an exact parallel to the present vaccination situation. In both processes many people have improved outcomes, on the face of it or at least temporarily. But in the long term the numbers with cancer and other conditions, or autism, Alzheimers and all the illnesses which follow vaccination in a proportion of the population, increase, and the problem becomes apparent. The first intervention - chemicals and GMOs in our food, may even predispose us to being less able to withstand the effects of the vaccines. I believe we have to get rid of all chemicals, from our food, our homes and our bloodstream!
Posted by: Grace Green | June 30, 2020 at 11:03 AM
Angus
It is an interesting story. At least M S Swaminathan lifted the burden of famine from India - perhaps it could have been done better or differently (it was already the epoch of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring) but if people were fed that was an achievement. In the present story I can see little good.
Posted by: John Stone | June 30, 2020 at 10:44 AM
One of the chosen from birth it seems her father is was a world leading (clue) geneticist who pulled India out of food poverty but in the real world all the people are dying of cancer and all the rest of the horrors of GM Foods whilst the goverments turn the other way -even the peacocks are not around anymore..makes me shiver reading that she was part of the TB shots
More About 50 Years of Green Revolution by M. S. Swaminathan
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Years-Green-Revolution/M-S-Swaminathan/9789813200067
Overview
The green revolution in India about 50 years ago transformed India's image then as begging bowl to bread basket. This transformation during the 1960s took just about 4 years.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103569390&t=1593518474986
Farmer Jarnail Singh helped spur research into whether the Green Revolution — a movement in the 1960s and '70s to introduce American farming methods such as the use of pesticides, fertilizers and high-yield seeds — has been hurting the public's health. The first clue Singh noticed was that peacocks — India's national bird — disappeared from the fields.
Daniel Zwerdling/NPR
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | June 30, 2020 at 08:12 AM
"Fauci was reported as saying on CNN yesterday he would settle for a vaccine which gave 70 or 75% immunity."
That's good for the US. In the UK they are conditioning us to accept a Covid-19 vaccine with 50% efficacy or less.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/23/covid-19-vaccine-may-not-work-for-at-risk-older-people-say-scientists
QUOTE:-
"Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at Oxford University, who is heading its Covid-19 vaccine research, told the Lords committee that none of the 140 vaccines in development was likely to be perfect, but said a useful vaccine did not have to be 100% effective.
“Even with 50% accuracy, we could actually go a long way to protecting the population. So we’re optimistic that we will have something, and, if necessary, we can combine the vaccines to get something that works even better,” she said."
Posted by: Jenny Allan | June 30, 2020 at 07:58 AM
"....AND WHAT WE ALL NEED NOW IS STRAIGHT TALKING" … that would be a first for entire industry and their public health marketers. There is more honesty required from marketing adds for drugs .. such as .. for hair shampoo .. than required from the people who RECOMMEND AND APPROVE these "UNAVOIDABLY UNSAFE" products.
Obviously these public health officials are not worried about being held accountable .. such as .. CRIMINALLY LIABLE .. for the thousands who may suffer life-threatening, life-altering, life-long CONSEQUENCES from a vaccine THOSE OFFICIALS foisted upon the public.
Posted by: Bob Moffit | June 30, 2020 at 07:42 AM