Americans are very worried about vaccine safety in general, so circumventing standard protocols would lead to fewer people taking the upcoming vaccines. I suspect that what we’ll do is exactly what we’re already doing (fairly large third phase trials - in which up to 200,000 Americans will get an early vaccine). I might sign up for one myself, if there’s one close enough to where I live (they usually want to find places with higher positivity rates than where I live).
Russia and UK are doing similar things - doing the first two regular phases and then widening the third phase to include as many people as possible. However, it’s hard to imagine that the tracing of all these people would be as rigorous as in what the FDA expects in that phase.
Russia is interesting because most of the early vaccinations have occurred mostly in Moscow and St Petersburg and they are indeed keeping track on the recipients (Russia already has many ways of keeping track of citizens - workplace and state are not as divided as in other nations).
So it’ll be great if UK rushes through to open phase (instead of prolonged third phase) and keeps the data that we’ll all need to feel more confident. Keep in mind that UK already has two people with more serious side effects and IMO, until that’s published properly, I think people should be wary. Right now, there’s no way to know who, exactly, had those side effects (other than their age and sex, which has been published).
I’d bet a dozen donuts that the woman with the myelin issue had received the vaccine and was not in the control group (she was older, but myelin is known to be compromised due to COVID - and no where has it been published that this woman actually got CV, so I’m guessing she got the vaccine).
Americans are going to be slow to take any vaccine that is rushed through too quickly. We have too little trust in our government right now - particularly the HHS. But, our own pharma companies are being forthcoming about their protocols - Johnson and Johnson is my favorite, so far, but there are others.
I don’t think anyone cares if we’re a month or two behind UK or Russia in getting a vaccine. It will be no safer than wearing a mask, anyway, as no vaccine is 100%
For me, I just want a more moderate course of CV if I get it.
No needless deaths need to occur in either scenario nor will deaths drop dramatically in UK or Russia right away - it doesn’t work like that. It will take time to vaccinate millions of people...especially in the midst of the pandemic.
