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We used to have cryogenically cooled parametric amplifiers when I worked SATCOM. Temps down to 50K or so, I think, to get "low noise". Cold is pretty easy.
Tanks of helium just sitting there, when we weren't repressurizing the cryo pump.
Tanks just sitting there. Of helium.
So, of course, we used to fill up trash bags with helium, and send them floating over the Wall into East Berlin. Fun times.
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Even if the vaccine must be stored at very low temperature, it can be stored a regular freeze temperature for while.
Here's one reference (in French) : Pourquoi le vaccin de Pfizer n'aurait finalement pas besoin d'être stocké à -70 °C
"...D'abord, le vaccin de Pfizer supporterait -20 °C pendant quinze jours et même 2 °C à 8 °C pendant cinq jours, d'après nos informations..."
(google translate)
"...First, Pfizer's vaccine would withstand -20 ° C for fifteen days and even 2 ° C to 8 ° C for five days, according to our information."
I'd rather be phishing!
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Heat pumps (normal refrigeration) don't need to have the sink at a lower temperature than the source to keep cooling. Think of air conditioning your house: it's much hotter outside than inside but the pump still can move heat - it just gets less and less efficient (there's an equation for that).
Now, for the COVID vaccine, they temperature is that of Dry Ice (solid CO2 for the newer generations). To make it, they compress the CO2 until it liquifies and let that cool by releasing heat to the surroundings - and then they release the pressure and it gets extremely cold, much of it solidifying and the rest returning to the gas phase (now at ambient pressure). Because of this method, the solid is more like snow and is compressed into blocks (opaque white). You can do this yourself if you've a CO2 fires extinguisher to waste: if turned upside down it will attempt to empty its contents (liquefied gas under pressure) and you'll get some dry-ice snow.
At the extreme end, towards absolute zero (0K = -273C), like liquid helium at 4K, extremely compressed helium is cooled, like the routine for dry ice but cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature, above and when allowed to expand some of it liquefies. It is a particularly energy intensive process as the tiny little helium atoms have virtually no attraction towards one another (compared to any other element). It is a super-fluid and does some creepy stuff like climb out of its container. It's generally difficult to store for any period of time (and dangerous in that it's constantly boiling and creating pressure). I didn't use it but it was used by some of the chemical physicists in my lab. It was ordered so it arrived within a day of when it was needed or it would pretty much be gone. It's stored in specialized dewers (basically thermos bottles).
Ravings en masse^ |
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"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Quote: Dry ice is made by liquefying carbon dioxide and injecting it into a holding tank, where it's frozen at a temperature of -109° F and compressed into solid ice.
Hey, maybe the vaccine will help with global warming too!
Oh wait, the dry ice simply evaporates.
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And if I'd known they would take this long I'd have come home and the gone back to get her!
But ... using the phone as a WiFi hotspot worked well, and the Surface Go 2 survived 5 hours of youtube, surfing, book reading and a short video with about an hour to go in the battery. Not too bad, but I think the older Surface 3 Pro would have done better (until it bricked itself by refusing to talk to it';s charger any more of course). The phone coped brilliantly, using less than 25% on a couple of calls and 5 hours as a WiFi hotspot. Good going!
08:30 the appointment was, 10:30 they actually saw here and started to prep for the procedure. 13:30 they called me to say Herself would be free to go at 14:00. 14:30 we go out of the building ...
The good news was the Welsh Rush Amble: despite peak traffic time we only stopped in traffic once on the way there, and that was at a set of red lights. So much easier than the same distance journey would have been when I worked inside the M25 (LOndon Orbital Motorway). Back then it could take an hour to get through Hindhead Lights ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: Hindhead Lights Yes, I used to commute through there for a number of years. Absolutely deadly on a Friday evening. All replaced now by a nice tunnel under the hogsback.
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Gawd yes. And all it ever took was one idiot to do something really stupid and you could be delayed for ages.
About once a week on average.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Quote: British regulators warned Wednesday that people who have a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program.
You'll soon have (the agony of) multiple choices.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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As I said... Although I would like to vaccinate myself and my family, I think I will wait until SP1
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Nelek wrote: I think I will wait until SP1
and if we learned anything from Microsoft, it requires many, many service packs, and even then, you are not guaranteed nirvana.
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Slacker007 wrote:
and if we learned anything from Microsoft Well, I'm not looking for Nirvana.
I just want to avoid the BSOD
Ravings en masse^ |
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"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I would take the jab of any of the vaccinations in stage 3 (or emergency approval) right here, right now.
Based on the vaccination data I'm far, far more likely to have long term, life changing effects from getting COVID than I am from the vaccine. Same goes for the flu vaccine (which I got a couple of weeks back).
It's not the being-hit-by-a-truck feeling I worry about, or the 2 weeks off work (that would actually be awesome!). It's myocarditis, lung scarring, or any of the other things that would fundamentally alter my lifestyle I'm worried about.
Until then, I will continue to isolate and self mediate with this[^]
cheers
Chris Maunder
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I do really understand your points. And I partially share them.
But anyways... I am too "young" (not that anymore but still not in the list) and didn't have any disease that would make me in the risk list. The only point I have is: I was heavy smoker until my first kid was born.
So if I would or not... it is not a big deal, until I can get it... it is going to be a while.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Chris Maunder wrote: I will continue to isolate and self mediate with this
You're just going to think about it and not drink it?
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated.
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One of us can't spell medicate and the other can't read meditate.
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated.
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Let's just say there was some medicating going on when I typed that.
Gotta love auto-correct.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Hmm... 70,000 deaths in 9 months, 1.7million cases, quite a few with long-lasting (permanent?) after-effects. 2 in 9000 allergic responses (both non-fatal) suggests we may see around 12000 allergic reactions, occurring in a medical setting. (UK figures)
It's likely I won't get the Pfizer vaccine anyway (too low risk to be in first tranches, most likely the Oxford/Astra one) but I'd still rather have the Pfizer than nothing at all! (And yes, I have had an anaphylactic reaction that put me in hospital).
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You probably won't get a choice: you'll get what you are given!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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They're still figuring out what "logistics" means.
It's a race between the ice cream wagon (Pfizer) and the "regular" distribution system (Moderna et all).
Some (provinces) here are being scheduled for Moderna.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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Oh yes. It's a problem: just for the UK, you are looking at 60M people to vaccinate (in theory, some of those will be morons easily convinced by internet bullsh*t rumours anti-vaxers) which means 120 million jabs. If they get it up to 1M jabs a day - a mammoth task since you've got to observe 'em for 15 minutes after the jab and get them in, jabbed and out while maintaining social distancing (so public transport is a no-go and you've got to park cars somewhere) - you are looking at 4 months to do it.
And yesterday, they managed 1000 ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: 120 million jabs. If they get it up to 1M jabs a day ...observe 'em for 15 minutes after the jab and get them in, ...looking at 4 months
Oh, you and you're math! So negative.
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I'm positive they'll have a functional solution that solves this problem soon.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Chris Maunder wrote: I'm positive they'll have a functional solution that solves this problem soon.
Amazon could get self-administered shots to everyone in no time. Remove from box, jab in arm and you're done. Easy.
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And I have Amazon Prime. Free Movies with each Jab!
cheers
Chris Maunder
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