Super Saturday awaits
Super Saturday this week is our collective day to vaccinate as many people in New Zealand as possible. The lives of our children and vulnerable community members depend on it. High vaccination rates are also our collective ticket to get back some level one freedoms we’ve so enjoyed. To help, here are the answers to the common questions I’m asked by those still on the vaccine fence.
First, it’s true that Pfizer’s phase three vaccine trials will continue for the next few years. But this doesn’t mean we don’t have enough information to use the vaccine now. The trials are continuing because we need to know how long a person’s protective immune response lasts after they have been vaccinated.
We’ll also get information on this from all the people around the world being vaccinated outside those trials. More than 230 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered worldwide and they’re showing it is extremely safe.
A study of more than 2 million people in California found just 15 cases of vaccine-related heart inflammation. Everyone recovered. The only people who can’t get the Pfizer vaccine are those who are allergic to any of the ingredients.
The ‘‘active’’ ingredient in the vaccine is the recipe (MRNA) our cells need to make the SARSCOV-2 virus’ spike protein. That MRNA is very fragile and won’t enter our cells on its own, so it’s wrapped in what’s called a lipid nanoparticle coat. In other words, it’s delivered inside teeny tiny balls of fat.
These fat balls deliver other medicines too and that’s why a very small number of people will be allergic to the vaccine. The likely candidate is the lipid (2-hexyldecanoate), 2 [(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-n,n-ditetradecyl acetamide.
The other ingredients are salts and a sugar called sucrose. The sucrose keeps the fat balls intact when the vaccine is stored at low temperatures.
The Pfizer vaccine requires two (identical) doses for you to be fully vaccinated. You will have some protection two weeks after you get your first dose but won’t be fully protected until one to two weeks after your second dose. The trials tested a three-week gap between doses, but countries like the United Kingdom and Canada rolled out the vaccine using a longer gap.
Studies suggest people might make a better or longer-lasting immune response with the longer gap, but the data is still far from crystal clear. That means either gap is fine but with delta in New Zealand I recommend three weeks.
Getting vaccinated on Super Saturday means you won’t be fully vaccinated until the end of November if you go for the threeweek gap and late December if you go for six weeks.
Finally, approach your vaccine-hesitant family and friends with patience, understanding, and empathy. I know it’s infuriating, but you won’t be able to help them by getting angry.
With delta in New Zealand I recommend a three-week gap.