This is hella promising [COVID]

[EssExTee]

Pfizer is reporting a 90% effectiveness in its vaccine trials

[rctothefuture]

It's very promising, but the logistics will be a nightmare

[Smallbear]

That's true, but considering the alternative is live with COVID, I don't see that logistics really matter. "You'll get it when we're able to send it, and that could be a while" is still waaaaaaay better than "You ain't getting it".

[ttyymmnn]

@smallbear I was talking about this to my boys today. Like the flu we have now, we will have Covid forever. We have to build up some herd immunity to it and add the vaccine to our annual inoculations. People will still die from Covid, just like they still die from the flu. That said, I think we are still a year away from not having to wear a mask. The 1918 pandemic lasted for two full years, though that was without a vaccine.

[Smallbear]

@ttyymmnn I'd have to say I'm more optimistic. My bet is on a roughly even year... so say March/April. Vaccines are arriving shortly, and frankly (at least around here), people are sick of the restrictions and just starting to live their lives again. Cases are rising and not responding to additional efforts by authorities to lock things down harder. My guess is that will continue unless hospitalizations and deaths also start spiking again, which they haven't so far. All of which suggests to me that between the vaccine becoming available and the strong possibility of it being complimented by herd immunity, it shouldn't be too much longer now.

That said, I think the masks will still be recommended... I just doubt they'll still be mandated. And I think most other restrictions, like gathering sizes, will be gone entirely.

Here's hoping.

[ttyymmnn]

@smallbear Here's hoping. It will feel weird going out without a mask again. I just want to play a concert in a hall with an audience. This virtual crap is for the birds, but at least we're still working.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@ttyymmnn We didn't lock down during the 1918 pandemic. Probably would have lasted a lot longer if they had. To be honest, I'd much rather have my kids wear masks than get injected with a brand new type of vaccine that was only tested for a few months.

[ttyymmnn]

@dipodomysdeserti We will not be early adopters. My guess is that those in the military will be the first to receive the vaccine in large numbers.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@ttyymmnn I have a sneaky suspicion that a good portion of the 30k Americans involved in this phase three trial were in the military.

[RallyDarkstrike]

This is good news, although I seem to think I read somewhere that transporting this will be a tricky pain because it has to be transported and stored at a really low temp?