NJ signing everyone up for vaccine tracking system (for now)

[Gefn]

Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday New Jersey will, by default, sign up all residents for its vaccine tracking system — giving people the option to opt out, but not until the ongoing novel coronavirus health emergency ends.

Murphy has consistently re-upped the state's public health emergency declaration since novel coronavirus cases began appearing in New Jersey in March, allowing him broad powers to regulate gatherings and business activity through executive orders. Though regulators are expected to approve emergency authorizations for coronavirus vaccines in the coming days or weeks, it's unclear how much longer Murphy might continue to extend those powers.

"30 days after the current public health emergency ends, anyone who was enrolled due to the #COVID19 vaccine can opt back out of the system," Murphy Tweeted Friday as he announced the same at his routine coronavirus media briefing.

The briefing was continuing when this article was published.

https://nj1015.com/nj-signing-everyone-up-for-vaccine-tracking-system-for-now/

[Gefn]

The article does say this

The change does not require anyone to get a coronavirus vaccine, though Murphy has said he's hoping to see 70 percent of the state's eligible population eventually voluntarily vaccinated.

 

[jmyrlefuller]

30 days after a public health emergency declaration that has no limits ends? So 30 days after Hell freezes over, pigs fly and the cows come home. There's not going to be an opt-out. This emergency is now forever.

[PeteS in CA]

FDA drug testing is done in four phases:

Phase I - Tests basic safety, proper dose, and effectiveness with a small number of participants (typically under 100)

Phase II - Tests safety and effectiveness at the previously established "proper" dose and regimen with a larger number of participants (typically several hundred and up to around a couple thousand) with a wider age and ethnic range

Phase III - The final pre-approval phase, tests safety and effectiveness of the regimen with 30,000-60,000 participants with an age range that may or may not exclude children under age 12 and a full ethnic range

Pre-approval test phases are done:

* To protocols written by the FDA;

* Double-blind and with half of participants receiving placebos in at least Phases II and III;

* With an independent committee overseeing safety, having custody of data, stopping enrollment to investigate "adverse events" to determine if the event was related to the vaccine, and doing interim analyses of test data to see if the vaccine is effective, with the possibility of the trial being terminated.

Phase IV - Ongoing monitoring for "adverse events" among participants in Phases I-III and people vaccinated after approval; Phase IV is ongoing, probably for several years

That records are kept of people receiving vaccinations is normal, as a whole. Being a new vaccine, Pfizer's and Moderna's and etc.'s will be monitored in their respective Phase IVs. Recipients should notify their physicians, if that isn't part of the process of receiving the vaccination.

I doubt that any state will try to mandate universal vaccination. If a state tried it that law would probably be tied up in courts for, well, long enough for it to be irrelevant if the law were upheld.

NJ's hoped for 70% number is probably what their health officials think will, when combined with the number of people who have immunity due to having recovered from Covid-19, result in "herd immunity". After the Dems' anti-Trump-Vaccine campaign of this summer and fall, I doubt that 70% will be achieved.