PSA - Coronavirus Vaccine

                                              PSA - Coronavirus Vaccine 

I don’t consider myself a ra ra kind of guy or one to give public service announcements, but I feel like I’ve gotten so many questions about the new covid vaccines that I thought it was worth addressing some of the major concerns. 

Below is a brief timeline detailing the emergence of the coronavirus 

31 Dec 2019

A cluster of pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, China. The infectious agent was identified as the novel coronavirus (Covid-19)

13 January 2020

The first recorded case outside of China in Thailand.

11 March 2020

Due to its spread and severity the WHO characterized Covid-19 as a pandemic.

Since then Covid-19 has changed all of our lives. The rate of infection in most countries is at an all time high and the concern for mutant strains is ever present. Fortunately there is hope on the horizon. Moderna and Pfizer have engineered a vaccine to help combat this new virus. 

This news has been met with jubilation from some and skepticism from others. The skepticism is disappointing but warranted, especially amongst the brown and black population who continue to be the victims of healthcare disparities. Many have not forgotten the transgressions that took place in Tuskegee and others are concerned with the speed at which the vaccine has been pushed through.

In the past, vaccine development has taken 10-15 years on average to accomplish 

However given the escalating nature of the pandemic, Operation Warp Speed was enacted in the U.S. to expedite the process.

The program allowed for considerable government support of companies with promising vaccine candidates and streamlining of the safety and efficacy protocols.  

Rather than eliminating steps from the traditional development process, screening and production steps occurred simultaneously. For example, companies such as Pfizer and Moderna received government funding (Moderna from the US, Pfizer from Germany) to manufacture the vaccine at an industrial scale well before the demonstration of vaccine efficacy and safety. While this certainly increased the financial risk (in the event Phase lll trials produced disappointing results), the integrity of of the vaccine was not compromised. Testing and safety regulations remained stringent and oversight by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was present throughout to discourage the cutting of corners for financial or political gain.

Both companies used novel technology to engineer their vaccines. The technology relies on the machinery found in all human cells, namely ribosomes, to read the information encoded in the messenger RNA and produce spike proteins identical to that of the virus that can be targeted by the human immune system and stimulate the production of antibodies.

Phase I/II clinical trial data (July 14^th for Moderna, and  August 12^th for Pfizer), demonstrated that the vaccines worked (had satisfactory antibody production) and that they were safe. 

Side effects experienced by participants in either trial included fatigue, fever/chills, headache, nausea, pain at site of injection and joint pain. 

                                                                                                 Moderna

Pfizer

More than 70,000 people combined were enrolled in the Phase lll trials for Moderna and Pfizer. 

The Moderna Vaccine demonstrated and efficacy of 94.1% (https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download) and protection against severe symptoms of the virus. The Pfizer Vaccine was equally efficacious with a protection rate of 95% of those who recieived their vaccine (https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download).

Both vaccines have been vetted by the U.S. FDA, which is customary, and have been authorized for mass distribution.

Although some might have a natural distrust for the government or the healthcare system I believe the speed we have been able to engineer these two elixirs is a testament to human ingenuity and should be heralded as a massive triumph. 

I myself have taken the vaccine and besides a little soreness in the arm (where I was injected), I have not suffered any side effects. For those with further questions I am more than happy to be a resource to help you make a better informed decision regarding the vaccine.

                                                                                References:

Shah, A., et al. (2020). "Unwavering Regulatory Safeguards for COVID-19 Vaccines." JAMA 324(10): 931-932.

Jackson, L. A., et al. (2020). "An mRNA Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 — Preliminary Report." New England Journal of Medicine 383(20): 1920-1931.

Mulligan, M. J., et al. (2020). "Phase I/II study of COVID-19 RNA vaccine BNT162b1 in adults." Nature 586(7830): 589-593.