NBCNEWS: The FDA's cutoff for Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness is 50 percent. What does that mean?

[Lady Freedom Returns]

The FDA's cutoff for Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness is 50 percent. What does that mean?
No vaccine is 100 percent effective, but some work better than others.
Nov. 3, 2020, 2:58 AM MST
By Jacqueline Stenson

Over the summer, the Food and Drug Administration announced that in order for an experimental Covid-19 vaccine to get the green light, it would need to be safe and “prevent disease or decrease its severity in at least 50 percent of people who are vaccinated.”

In fact, no vaccine is 100 percent effective, but some work better than others. One of the most successful is the measles vaccine — two doses are 97 percent effective in preventing the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Still, 50 percent sounds like a far cry from 97 percent.

“I know that 50 percent does sound low but that is still some protection, and some protection is better than no protection,” said Dr. Jeff Kwong, professor of public health and family medicine and interim director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto.

Read more @ https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-s-cutoff-covid-19-vaccine-effectiveness-50-percent-what-n1245506

[uppityperson]

1. Depends on adverse effects. 50% is better than none.

[dflprincess]

3. I'm assuming that's 50% successful at giving immunity?

If that's the case, we could hope that the vaccine would at least make a bout of it less harmful.

[marybourg]

2. But people will become 100% less mask compliant

[Blue_true]

6. I am keeping my mask on in public until I see a sure thing that is proven

better.

[PSPS]

8. and "decrease its severity" doesn't apply to the chronic debilitating diseases is causes

[jmg257]

4. I'd also be concerned with how long it is effective.

My bud at work had covid pretty bad in late February - tested recently to have no anti-bodies now.

[Ms. Toad]

5. It means they are happy with a vaccine that is slightly more effective

than the seasonal flu vaccine is (on average).

[Blue_true]

10. I believe that it is safe to say that the only "seasonal" aspect to

SARS-COV-2 is that it transmits more efficiently when cold weather pack people together. It doesn’t go away because the weather gets warmer, like the flu does.

SARS-COV-2 acts like it’s biological cousins, the common cold viruses, a person can catch a cold anytime of year.

[Ms. Toad]

12. seasonal influenza, not seasonal COVID.

The seasonal influenza vaccine is, on average, less than 50% effective.

I was providing a comparison for the OP who wanted to know what 50% effective meant.

[Blue_true]

14. I understood your point.

Maybe it is just me showing uncertainty about SARS-COV-2. It seems that a person must be on the defensive against it at all times. One concern that I have is a vaccine may give people a false sense of defense if the rollout of the vaccine and education of the public doesn’t go hand in hand with the vaccine rollout.

I know that I plan to wear my masks until there is a sure thing relative to the virus.

[dawg day]

7. I think some years the flu shot is only about 50% effective.

It's not ideal, but now that we're better about hygiene and wearing masks, it will probably be enough to prevent many infections.

[slumcamper]

9. To me, that's a coin toss. Maybe...maybe not.

[Blue_true]

11. I don't know much about vaccine statistics. But I am concerned with

that low of a threshold for something as dangerous as SARS-COV-2.

[crickets]

13. It means Fauci really wanted 70-75% efficacy and we're not going to get it,

at least not right now and not from this vaccine.

June
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/28/health/fauci-coronavirus-vaccine-contact-tracing-aspen/index.html

Sept
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2020/09/25/fauci-we-just-have-to-hang-in-there-just-a-bit-longer-for-a-vaccine/?sh=5122843b427c

Whether 50% is still better than nothing, it seems like it would be.

From the article in the OP:

Even if the first generation of Covid-19 vaccines aren’t as effective as hoped, Hotez said he’s not planning to pass up any of them. There might be the possibility he could get a booster later or even receive a different, more effective vaccine at some point, he said. For now, though, he would take what he can get.

“I would feel much better knowing that I got vaccinated and have some levels of virus-neutralizing antibody in my system,” he said. “Even if it’s not the best vaccine, it still could prevent me from going to the hospital or worse.”

I reserve judgement until I see the sticker price.