COVID-19 Vaccine | Layla & Sajni
- hederahelixscience
- Sep 16, 2021
- 3 min read
These are unprecedented times that we face with little knowledge about what will become of us in the future. 2020 has been dominated by Covid-19 and to this point we have seen around the globe over 32 million cases and around 1 million deaths. Even though it is important to hold onto the little bit of hope we have to return to normality, we feel that it is important to know the full truth about the coronavirus vaccine.
Vaccination is key to preventing disease and has been a major advance in public health to eradicate epidemics like smallpox or polio. Vaccines work by mimicking an infectious agent, and by doing so, train our bodies to respond more rapidly and effectively against them. Vaccines maintain your immunity even after the disease has left your body therefore protecting your body in the long run.
The interim analysis of phase 3 clinical trial results from Pfizer and BioNTech’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine suggests it is around 90% effective at preventing the disease which exceeds the predicted efficacy- “Everyone was expecting around 50– 60% efficacy, so 90% is good” says Gregory Poland, vaccine scientist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US. However, experts warn that they need to see more data in order to better evaluate the vaccine candidate.
A phase 3 trial has begun and to this point around 20,000 people have been included in the trial. Recently, a person who was given the active vaccine did develop a spinal-cord syndrome known as transverse myelitis after the second dose of the vaccine but does appear to be recovering and the trial has been re-commenced, following an investigation into this case. In the same way since this a new vaccine, we are still unsure about the long term health impacts this will have. However, the reality with any infectious disease and the following responses to the treatment will depend on that person’s own immune system. This therefore varies between each individual and it is essential to take this under consideration when it comes to how a person responds to the coronavirus and equally how they respond to the vaccination.
In an interview we conducted, multiple respondents believed that it was quite shocking that the vaccine came into effect so quickly especially considering other viruses such as the ebola virus took considerably longer to develop a functioning vaccine. Therefore, they remain somewhat skeptical regarding the authenticity of the vaccine considering the fact that it has taken 10 years to produce vaccines for other viruses. On the other hand, they mentioned that we live in revolutionary times with technology unlike any generation before us therefore the two situations are incomparable in this sense.
It is important to note that whether the vaccine protects against asymptomatic transmission is also unknown, notes Poland: ‘This is important because roughly half the cases are being transmitted by people who are asymptomatic.’ Vaccinated individuals may feel protected and relax protective measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. However, if infected they could still be capable of transmitting the virus, including to vulnerable individuals. ‘Some might be super spreaders, because unknown to them they might harbour the virus, not be sick, but infect other people,’ says Bridle. Therefore people may become complacent so there is a greater risk of contracting the disease.
We hope that this article has contributed towards aiding your decision in whether you want to receive the coronavirus vaccine and helps you have an insight into its benefits and risks.
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/rna-vaccines-a-novel-technology-to-prevent-and-treat-disease/
Interviewees: Shayna Patel and Avani Shah
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