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Sean, nearly 2.5 years between setups, should be an interesting return
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You can say that again Mike! It will be interesting and is it going to be right from C-Con to Tell-U-Ride? Probably, I would think.
Oh and I am remiss in not mentioning the efforts of our #1 D-Cinema Tech Mike Babb (don't tell Bill Gillette I said that!)Comment
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Sean, I defer to Bill and Tom anyway, and the rest of the team, as you say it's a good crew and a pleasure to work with everyone. I expect with the vaccine news we could be looking at a return to form for Cinemacon, and perhaps a true celebration of the return of cinema.Comment
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Not meaning to sound like a party pooper, but a significant gotcha with the Pfizer vaccine is that it has to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, and once thawed, used within five days. There seems to be a general consensus that this is likely to prove a significant logistical challenge, even in the developed world. Hopefully there will be enough cold storage and transportation infrastructure in place by next summer to have vaccinated a significant proportion of the population, but I've a feeling that it will likely take at least that long.Comment
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I don't think that's a real issue given the current circumstances and pressures. Dry ice stores at -78 degrees Celsius. I guess it's not too complicated to use this common matter, as it's widely available.Comment
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Dry ice is produced at industry scales as it is being used in many industrial processes and when kept in a double-walled container, it easily lasts a day or two without replenishing the dry ice. So, for transport this isn't all too complicated. What's more complicated though is how to store it at the places that are going to administer the vaccine. Not every doctor will have the capability to store a lot of stuff at those temperatures.Comment
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As far as I get it, they will not ship it to individual doctors, but keep it a central locations that have or build their specific storage. At least THIS vaccine is not meant to be distributed and applied through classical dezentralized means as e.g. influenza vaccine. Yes, the storage conditions for THIS vaccine may be an issue for some underdeveloped countries. But this will not be the only vaccine in the long run.Comment
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So, again, we are off topic but I am concerned about this vaccine in that apparently we have spent billions already in producing it and in the logistics in preparation for wide scale distribution far in advance of its successful testing and approval. That commitment and investment has to weigh heavily on the approval decision. At this point I would question what they are telling us. They say it is really effective, well, far better than they were hoping. I hope that is truly the case. I would feel a lot better if the actual approval doesn't come until early February 2021 and not after a long chain of firings. Just saying.Comment
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As I understand it, the Pfizer vaccine was developed completely outside the initiative run by the folks that I'm guessing you'd like to see receive pink slips early in the new year. That raises the question as to whether the projects that were part of it have, or ever will, develop a viable vaccine as well. As long as regulators are as confident that they ever will be that the Pfizer shot won't cause any harm (and trials of three other vaccines that might have done - by AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Sinovac Biotech - were quickly halted, so I feel reasonably confident in the trials process to believe that if the Pfizer shot passed it, it's as safe as we can reasonably expect before putting it into mainstream use), I see no problem in authorizing it for use ASAP. If it doesn't work as well as claimed, the risk is on Pfizer's stockholders, not the taxpayer.
But if the Project Warp Speed money fails to come up with anything usable, that will be a black eye for the taxpayer, definitely.Comment
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Yes, more vaccines are expected to arrive later. But if we can believe the claim of 90% efficacy, it will be hard for any other vaccine to beat, in this early stage.Originally posted by Carsten Kurz View Post
The vaccine has indeed been developed without spending any Operation Warp Speed money, the funding for this research came from the German government. It also wasn't Pfizer who developed it, but a German company called BioNTech, headed by Turkish immigrants. The company normally specialized in cancer research, but teamed up with Pfizer for the vaccine, primarily for production and distribution.Originally posted by Leo Enticknap
Once the vaccine is ready to ship, I guess "Operation Warp Speed" money will be used to pay for the distribution. They claim it will be free for all Americans, but I'm sure Pfizer won't be giving away millions of doses for free.Comment
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I believe I heard the other day that the government had already paid Pfizer ONE billion plus for X number doses. Now we have another vaccine that is said to be 94.5% effective. I would gladly pay for either one!!Comment
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It's a contract for about $1,95B for 100M vaccines agreed upon in June of this year, but AFAIK it's being paid on delivery, it was not paid for upfront.
Yes, Moderna announced that their vaccine is about 95% effective in current trials. Yet, this vaccine is said not to be available before spring 2021, while the BioNTech vaccine could be available before that, at least in limited quantities. Still, having two independent vaccines on the market next year would be a great advancement, especially if this Moderna vaccine can be more easily distributed than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Moderna actually got upfront money from Operation Warp Speed: About $483M for the research, clinical trails and initial development.Comment
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