The effectiveness of the three most advanced vaccines in the west of the planet varies between 70% and 95%. Specialist confirms that the immunity time provided by vaccines is not yet known.
While humanity is still celebrating the approval of immunization against the COVID-19 virus; news of the effectiveness and adverse effects of each of the vaccines is starting to flood the news.
Currently, there are five more advanced vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca for the western part of the planet and the Russian Sputnik V and the Chinese CanSino for the east.
In the case of the Pfizer vaccine, which began to be used in the United States, there are already people talking about side effects.
Infectologist Jorge Panameño explained that the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced last November that it was 95% effective, while Moderna, a US company that announced that same month, that the results in phase III of the study were 94.1% effective.
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According to UK government sources, the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine is about to be approved in the UK to be distributed and delivered to millions of people every week. This is a vaccine that is known to be 70% effective, Panameño says.
The infectologist explains that there are two vaccines that are quite similar, these are those from Pfizer and Modern because they have the same mechanism of action made up of genetic material, surrounded by a lipid membrane (barrier) that acts as a transporter.
Iván Solano Leiva, infectologist and member of the Medical Observatory of El Salvador, agrees that there is a similarity between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in their construction by means of synthetic messenger RNA.
As for the differences, it says they are in the days of application, where Pfizer applies the second dose 21 days (0-21 days) after the first application; and the second dose of Moderna is placed at 28 days (0-28 days).
While the AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccines use an adenovirus of monkey origin as a transporter (it is collected from chimpanzees), the COVID-19 virus is inactivated so that no infection occurs. Since it is available, the second dose will be placed on 28 days (0-28 days), Solano Leiva says.
The similarity between the three vaccines is that they target the S2 protein, the virus’ spike protein (crown-shaped spike).
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The Russian vaccine has the same mechanism, Sputnik V, it uses an adenovirus that injects genetic material into the cell and this generates the production of particles very similar to the SARS-CoV-2 viral receptors and makes the organism produce antibodies against these receptors. and it would protect against the virus by destroying them, ”explains Panameño.
Solano Leiva argues that the Russian vaccine had not developed phase III studies when the population in that country began to be vaccinated, so they skipped a step in the research stages and are currently in phase III studies and awaiting the results .
And the Chinese vaccine, says the infectologist, has the same composition, as they work with adenovirus V.
Panamanian points out that 52 more vaccines are being developed between stages I, II and III, which should be ready between 15 and 20 by the end of 2021 to reach approval stage.
Solano Leiva says there are more than 150 vaccines in development.
Regarding the cost of immunizations, he adds that Pfizer will cost roughly between $ 30 and $ 50 per dose, in addition to the fact that this company will not participate in the COVAX initiative that aims to provide affordable prices for all countries.
Moderna’s vaccine will cost between $ 30 and $ 40 per dose, and AstraZeneca has said they will be affordable throughout the pandemic at a cost of $ 3 or $ 3.67 per dose.
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Arrival of vaccine in the country
Panamanian also confirmed that it is not certain that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available in the first quarter of the year 2021 as it has been delayed in approval, so for now best hope is based on the Covax mechanism promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In El Salvador, between eight million and 12 million doses will be needed, as two doses per person are needed for a vaccination program that seeks the immune barrier.
As for risk groups, health workers, people over 60 years old, are chronically ill (diabetic, hypertensive, asthmatic, obese, people with heart disease, kidneys, smokers) to reduce the mortality rate. priorities are determined by each country.
“To have vaccines other than Oxford AstraZeneca is not just about having the money to buy them, but also about buying complicated and expensive infrastructure. But no one knows for sure, in developing countries like ours, when we will have the vaccines, and when they are applied, it is not to contain the pandemic, but rather that the number, the amount (doses) so that it can be applied to people at high risk, ”Panameño emphasizes.
The AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine is 70% effective, the company said. Photo EDH / AFP
Side effects
Regarding the side effects of the vaccine, Panameño points out that they have been observed to be allergic reactions and that it is striking that they have only occurred in health professionals’ in such a way that some contraindications of this vaccine are in people who are very allergic. are for different situations, and that’s what has been established and all cases have been treated and moved on, ”says the infectologist.
He points out that the vaccine studies are continuing and the approvals were an emergency, so it will be necessary to continue to observe what other situations arise before the vaccines are given, and that what happens with the reactions is controllable.
Solano Leiva believes that local reactions such as fever, redness at the site of the vaccine, headache, general discomfort occur which in most cases disappear.
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Side effects
Pfizer says there have been no serious problems with the vaccine so far. “The only serious effect reported, occurring in a percentage equal to or greater than 2% of vaccinees, is that 3.8% of patients were fatigued and 2% had headaches,” Pfizer said this month. In the United States, three people have had allergic reactions to this vaccine. Infectologist Iván Solano Leiva says that the reactions that occur are local and that they disappear in a short time, such as general malaise, fever, headache and redness in the area where the vaccine is placed.
Myths about the vaccine
Infectologists Iván Solano Leiva and Jorge Panameño explain that people have started creating myths about vaccines, including that it is an international conspiracy and that they are going to inject us with a chip or genetic modifications, rumors that stem from the anti-vaccination movements. Another myth is that getting the vaccine will immediately end the pandemic, which is incorrect. Therefore, hygiene measures such as the use of a mask and hand washing should be followed. Another myth is that we become guinea pigs, which isn’t true as it has already been tested on people who volunteered to test.