It’s time to talk COVID-19 vaccine
Background
The three frontrunner vaccines are made by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna/NIH, and AstraZeneca/Oxford. Pfizer and Moderna use the same mechanism to evoke immunity. The AstraZeneca vaccine is different from the former.
These vaccines use two different and new technologies, though both technologies were extensively studied prior to COVID-19.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) to stimulate the body to make synthetic COVID-19 proteins. The body sees those proteins and in thinking it is being attacked, creates antibody warriors in response. In making antibody warriors, your body does another amazing thing – it tucks away the blue print for making antibodies in case it sees COVID-19 again. The blue print or immunologic memory is what protects you from COVID-19 infection in the future. In my opinion, this is one of the most fascinating functions of the human body.
The AstraZeneca vaccine uses a Chimpanzee adenovirus (adenoviruses are very common and this strain does not make people sick) to deliver the COVID-19 genetic material into the body. The body sees the COVID-19 genetic material and reacts the same way by producing warriors and cataloging the antibody blueprint.
Moderna and BioNTech may not be familiar names, but they’ve been working with mRNA technology for many years. Prior to COVID-19, Moderna was developing a MERS (a cousin coronavirus of COVID) vaccine using mRNA, which helped inform the process of making a COVID-19 vaccine.
Are these vaccines safe?
The FDA is still reviewing safety data. As we’ve seen in the news, COVID-19 clinical trials are paused when serious reactions occur and those situations are reviewed by external committees before resuming. All trials involved tens of thousands of volunteers. Each person was monitored for side effects. All side effects were recorded and reported to the FDA.
Is it possible to see new side effects with widespread use of a vaccine even after it is approved?
Possibly, but not on a large scale. It is impossible to include people with every genetic, medical, and pharmaceutical variation in a clinical trial, so new findings may come to light after a vaccine is released. This vaccine CANNOT cause COVID-19 infection.
Are these vaccines effective?
All data indicate all three vaccines are very effective. Vaccine efficacy in a clinical trial is always higher than in real life. This is because the conditions under which a clinical trial is conducted are carefully monitored, and in real life variations such as breaks in cold storage chain, administration challenges, individual response variability all impact effectiveness. Regardless, a slightly less effective vaccine will still protect nearly everyone who receives it.
How long will the vaccines provide protection?
At least three months, though likely longer. More will be known about lasting immunity over time. Keep in mind, there are dozens more vaccines under development and future generations will only improve.
Will my family get the vaccine?
Yes, and without hesitation. I am confident in the technologies used for all three vaccines, and in their effectiveness. We’ve been very fortunate to not have COVID-19 in our family yet, and with my husband working as a physician, I cannot wait for the day I know he is truly protected.
We must make sure our friends, family, loved ones, and everyone we know gets vaccinated when the time comes. If you have concerns, read and research. The following links are resources for you and support the statements in this post. And if you haven't had your flu shot yet get out and get it soon.
CDC COVID-19 vaccine information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronav.../2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html
How Moderna’s vaccine works: https://www.nytimes.com/.../moderna-covid-19-vaccine.html
How Pfizer’s vaccine works: https://www.nytimes.com/.../pfizer-biontech-covid-19...
CDC COVID-19 vaccine information for healthcare professionals: https://www.cdc.gov/.../covi.../hcp/mrna-vaccine-basics.html
Vaccine development tracker: https://www.nytimes.com/.../coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
Interesting story on the discovery of using mRNA to fight disease: https://www.statnews.com/.../the-story-of-mrna-how-a.../