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This is the same thing as a vaccine (but without doing the safety due diligence). IMHO as a not-medical-professional, we’d be better off with just using one of
by Robotbeat 7y ago
This is the same thing as a vaccine (but without doing the safety due diligence). IMHO as a not-medical-professional, we’d be better off with just using one of the (dead) vaccine candidates early than with a slightly attenuated live virus.
We actually started clinical trials of the Moderna mRNA vaccine in humans a month ago. We may have some early safety data. Better that than intentionally exposing people.
- danieltillett 7y agoNo it is not. There is still safety data, it has just been done by nature and not by jabbing people in the arm with some experimental vaccine.
- Robotbeat 7y agoNo, the safety data is not well controlled in this case. There are lots of ways to administer a vaccine, it doesn't have to be injection. Look up the history of vaccination. Starting in the late 18th Century, people used to do this exact thing for early vaccinations: they found a naturally occurring, less pathogenic strain (for instance, cowpox[1] in the days of smallpox), and intentionally exposed people. This is exactly the same thing as a vaccine except less controlled and, ultimately, much less safe. . [1]The root of "vaccine" is "vacca," i.e. Latin for "cow," for this reason.
- danieltillett 7y agoSafety data can be gained from epidemiology studies. There is more than one way to work out if a treatment is safe and effective.
- Robotbeat 7y agoEpidemiological studies are much poorer than clinical trials. I’d rather have low-N but well controlled clinical trials than nebulous epidemiological studies.
- danieltillett 7y agoOf course, but in this pandemic we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Waiting for the perfect vaccine to be developed will have a very high cost. There are no easy options here.