Benefits of Covid-19 vaccination
NOW that Covid-19 vaccines are available soon, many of us are concerned about getting vaccinated. While more Covid19 vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is authorized or approved for use. Safety is a top priority.
Being both exciting and nervewracking, I was a bit apprehensive about both the speed of vaccine development and new use of mRNA technology, but after research, google, discussion with respected friends and weighing the risks, the decision became obvious that I will take the shot.
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine that aims to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care, in the past, vaccines have taken many years to develop. However, the relatively quick development of this vaccine does not mean safety measures were skipped. There are several reasons why the Covid-19 vaccines were developed faster than other vaccines:
The type of vaccine developed for Covid-19 by Pfizer/BioNTech has been years in development for other infectious viruses. Thus, the manufacturing process was ready very early in the pandemic.
China shared genetic information about the SARSCoV-2 coronavirus when it was available, which gave vaccine developers an early start at finding a vaccine.
The testing processes for the vaccines didn’t skip any steps, but the vaccine developers conducted some stages of the process simultaneously to gather as much data as quickly as possible.
Governments gave money to vaccine developers in advance, so the companies had resources they needed.
Some types of Covid-19 vaccines were created using messenger RNA (mRNA), a new technology that allows a faster approach than the traditional way vaccines are made.
Social media enabled companies to reach out to and enroll study volunteers, and plenty of people wanted to help, so there were enough research participants to test the Covid-19 vaccines.
Because the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is so contagious and widespread, many volunteers who got the vaccine were exposed to the virus, and with so many exposures, the trials took a shorter time to see if the vaccine worked.
Companies began manufacturing vaccines ahead of their authorization or approval so some supplies would be ready if authorization occurred.
On record, there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccine can make us sick with the dreadful virus as none of the Covid-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes Covid-19. All Covid-19 vaccines that are in development are being carefully evaluated in clinical trials and are cleared or approved.
Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a Covid-19 vaccine may also help keep us from getting seriously ill even if we do get Covid-19. Getting vaccinated ourself may also protect people around us, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19. Many medical experts believe that Covid-19 vaccination is a safer way to help build protection because clinical trials of all vaccines must first show they are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for use, including Covid-19 vaccines.
The known and potential benefits of a Covid-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine for use under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization.
Getting Covid-19 may offer some natural protection or immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes Covid-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection. However, experts don’t know for sure how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. Covid-19 vaccination will help protect us by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness.
Expert John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford is confident that life will be returning to normal by May. He was being interviewed by the BBC shortly after the announcement last week by Pfizer and BioNTech that their
Covid-19 vaccine candidate had 90% efficacy in clinical trials. Similar announcements about the Russian Sputnik V and Moderna vaccines followed soon after. The prospect of preventing illness and death, and avoiding the harm and misery of extended restrictions, is a cause for optimism. But prudently although it is right to be hopeful and encouraged, we are far from ending Covid-19 as a public health issue.
This is because the trials’ results leave many scientific uncertainties that will dictate how the vaccines will affect the course of the pandemic. Little safety data are available.
How well the vaccines work in older people or those with underlying conditions and their efficacy in preventing severe disease are still unclear. Peerreviewed publication should resolve these issues, but other questions will not be answerable for some time. For one, the duration of protection is unknown and will have a huge bearing on the practicalities and logistics of immunisation. Are boosters be needed? How often?
2020 has been a year of incredible scientific achievement. In less than 12 months, researchers have characterised a novel illness, sequenced a new virus’s genome, developed diagnostics, produced treatment protocols, and established the efficacy of drugs and vaccines in randomised controlled trials. Many people are feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time. But there is still much to learn and many barriers to overcome. I still believe it is a dangerous moment to be complacent.