"If we start in early December, new vaccines could be available by summer in much of the world," Slavitt tweeted.

What? So, new vaccine developed and safety signed off on in the course of six or seven months? And I'm supposed to have confidence in that?

Multiple media organizations on Friday reported Pfizer-BioNTech is studying the new variant and expects data within weeks. If warranted, a targeted vaccine could be developed within 6 weeks and ship within 100 days, the reports say.

There you go. A targeted, i.e., new, vaccine shipping in three months according to Pfizer. Who is watching out for safety?

Yeah, isn't it supposed to take three years to do it properly?

There's another factor involved which will make it interesting. Preliminary reports from SA say it may be significantly less severe than previous strains.

Dr. Angelique Coetzee, South African Medical Association: Their symptoms were so different and so mild from those I had treated before. It presents mild disease with symptoms being sore muscles and tiredness for a day or two not feeling well. So far, we have detected that those infected do not suffer the loss of taste or smell. They might have a slight cough. There are no prominent symptoms.

At what point does the risk-benefit equation tilt towards abandoning experimental vaccines (and lockdowns)? Particularly for the young.

For sure the drug companies are going to push their drugs no matter what - but will anyone in authority have the guts to stand up to them?

(Funny aside: WHO skipped a couple of letters in the Greek alphabet, including Xi, to get to Omicron)