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> - two doses needed, 3 weeks apart, immunity after one month from first dose. Slow rollout. Yeah, this alone is bad news. Last year my parents got a two-dose

> - two doses needed, 3 weeks apart, immunity after one month from first dose. Slow rollout. Yeah, this alone is bad news. Last year my parents got a two-dose shingles vaccine. The two doses are supposed to be separated by two to six months. My parents struggled to find their second doses in the window. Apparently there was limited supply and no one had the foresight to reserve second doses when people received their first, or even to prioritize second doses over first. The covid vaccine will have much more demand and apparently a tighter window, and our health system isn't exactly well-coordinated right now, so I anticipate a lot of people will be unable to get the second dose with the proper timing.

DrBazza 6y ago
I'm curious, which country is this? In the UK, the NHS are generally on top of things like this, so it should not happen in most cases.
- scottlamb 6y ago
  US. I believe they got these vaccines through pharmacy chains like Walgreens or CVS. This is one of several ways people get vaccines here—it's common for seasonal flu shots especially to be available at employers (medical staff travel from one employer to the next) and pharmacies (sometimes even grocery stores with in-store pharmacies) in addition to the general practitioners' regular clinics. I think for the first dose they got it wherever was convenient—probably the pharmacy where/when they were picking up a prescription—and for the second they looked everywhere for months.
yreg 6y ago
It will be an incredible challenge, but there is at least some economy of scale on our side. Wendover did a nice video[0] on this topic month ago, explaining how UPS/FedEx/DHL/… are already massively upscaling their cold chain infrastructure. Retrofitting planes, building giant freezers in transport hubs. [0] The Greatest Logistics Challenge Ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byW1GExQB84 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byW1GExQB84
- localhost 6y ago
  Thanks for sharing this. I learned a lot from watching this video and I have another channel to subscribe to now :) One thing that I found interesting was how they identified today's announcement of the BNT162b2 vaccine candidate (back in September) as one that would require the massive investment in cold chain infrastructure. They also highlight Pfizer's engineering of a separate series of cold boxes that would keep the vaccine at temperature for up to 10 days, thereby enabling it to be shipped through standard logistics networks. Great stuff.
throwaway2245 6y ago
Same experience for Hep A vaccine. Got the first dose, then there was a global shortage when it was time to get the second dose - not available. If there are 7 billion people and 1 billion doses in the next year, it's going to be awkward.
- hervature 6y ago
  People are going to discover where they sit on the global privilege scale. 1.3 billion doses next year and 50 million this year. Let's call it 1.4 billion by the end of 2021. The USA + Canada will get half (USA gets 100M guaranteed and the option of an extra 500M). I assume Europe gets the other half based on the numbers I'm seeing that UK has ordered. Africa, Asia, and South America will probably not see meaningful levels of this vaccine until 2022.

DrBazza 6y ago

I'm curious, which country is this? In the UK, the NHS are generally on top of things like this, so it should not happen in most cases.

scottlamb 6y ago
US. I believe they got these vaccines through pharmacy chains like Walgreens or CVS. This is one of several ways people get vaccines here—it's common for seasonal flu shots especially to be available at employers (medical staff travel from one employer to the next) and pharmacies (sometimes even grocery stores with in-store pharmacies) in addition to the general practitioners' regular clinics. I think for the first dose they got it wherever was convenient—probably the pharmacy where/when they were picking up a prescription—and for the second they looked everywhere for months.

yreg 6y ago

It will be an incredible challenge, but there is at least some economy of scale on our side. Wendover did a nice video[0] on this topic month ago, explaining how UPS/FedEx/DHL/… are already massively upscaling their cold chain infrastructure. Retrofitting planes, building giant freezers in transport hubs. [0] The Greatest Logistics Challenge Ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byW1GExQB84 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byW1GExQB84

localhost 6y ago
Thanks for sharing this. I learned a lot from watching this video and I have another channel to subscribe to now :) One thing that I found interesting was how they identified today's announcement of the BNT162b2 vaccine candidate (back in September) as one that would require the massive investment in cold chain infrastructure. They also highlight Pfizer's engineering of a separate series of cold boxes that would keep the vaccine at temperature for up to 10 days, thereby enabling it to be shipped through standard logistics networks. Great stuff.

throwaway2245 6y ago

Same experience for Hep A vaccine. Got the first dose, then there was a global shortage when it was time to get the second dose - not available. If there are 7 billion people and 1 billion doses in the next year, it's going to be awkward.

hervature 6y ago
People are going to discover where they sit on the global privilege scale. 1.3 billion doses next year and 50 million this year. Let's call it 1.4 billion by the end of 2021. The USA + Canada will get half (USA gets 100M guaranteed and the option of an extra 500M). I assume Europe gets the other half based on the numbers I'm seeing that UK has ordered. Africa, Asia, and South America will probably not see meaningful levels of this vaccine until 2022.