As many Johnson & Johnson vaccine meetings switch to Pfizer or Moderna vaccine doses following a recommended break in Illinois and Chicago, what can those who once anticipated the single vaccine expect?
Although the break in the J&J vaccine is probably only temporary, both the city and the state have already switched many vaccination clinics and events to one of the remaining vaccines available.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a White House medical adviser, said Sunday that he believes the United States is likely to resume use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as early as this week, although it could come with a warning or restriction attached.
Here is a breakdown of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, their potential side effects and how effective they are thought to be.
What is an mRNA vaccine?
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines differ from traditional vaccines in the use of mRNA.
Instead of introducing a weakened body or an inactivated germ into your body, this vaccine injects mRNA, the genetic material that our cells read to make proteins, into the muscle of the upper arm. It teaches your body how to produce the protein that triggers the production of antibodies, so that if the real virus later enters your body, your immune system will recognize it, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How effective are Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines?
Questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine have been associated with an increase in the spread of several COVID variants.
To date, studies suggest that vaccines currently used may recognize emerging variants – but may not provide as much protection against new strains.
The latest results from the Pfizer study, however, suggested that the vaccine is effective against the coronavirus variant that first appeared in South Africa.
“These data also provide the first clinical results that a vaccine can effectively protect against currently circulating variants, a critical factor in achieving herd immunity and ending this pandemic for the global population,” said Ugur Sahin. , CEO and co-founder of BioNTech. a declaration.
Modern, citing data from the third phase clinical trial, reported that the COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective in protecting against COVID and more than 95% effective against severe disease up to six months after the second dose. said the company.
But stimulants and new versions of vaccines targeting variants are already being explored.
Pfizer-BioNTech is testing a third vaccine booster vaccine on fully vaccinated people. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people would “probably” need the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine within 12 months of full vaccination.
“The flexibility of our mRNA vaccine platform allows us to technically develop booster vaccines in a few weeks, if necessary,” Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said in a statement.
Late last month, the National Institutes of Health began testing a new COVID vaccine from Moderna designed to protect against a variant first discovered in South Africa. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told CNBC that the company hopes to have a booster vaccine for its two-dose vaccine available in the fall.
But how about variants?
In clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine reported 94.1% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in individuals who received both doses. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been said to be 95% effective.
A new CDC study reported that a single dose of COVID Pfizer or Moderna vaccine was 80% effective in preventing infections. This number increased to 90% two weeks after the second dose, according to the study on vaccinated medical workers.
“These findings indicate that COVID-19 authorized mRNA vaccines are effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of symptoms, among working-age adults in real conditions,” the agency wrote in the study. “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all eligible individuals.”
It is not known whether any of the vaccines prevent the spread of the virus by asymptomatic people.
Monica Hendrickson, public health administrator for the Peoria County Department of Health, said each vaccine is highly effective against death and severe coronavirus disease.
“So, really, you look at a distinction that, from a clinical point of view, or from, you know, from an epidemiological point of view, is very minor compared to what we really hope for, which is the decrease in death and the decrease in severe diseases. , where they all fit between the three vaccines, “Hendrickson said.” The most important thing is that when these vaccines come on the market, if you have an option for any of them, you get one of them. “
Hendrickson’s message resonates with one made by Dr. Marina Del Rios, an emergency medicine specialist at the University of Illinois-Chicago, during NBC’s “Vaccinated State” panel.
“Part of my message in the community was that the vaccines on the market are just as effective and just as safe,” Del Rios said. “The best vaccine you can get is the one you can get first and get vaccinated sooner. Sooner rather than later, it protects us from getting sick and our community, which has been so terrible. devastated by this virus. “
What are the potential side effects?
Side effects are possible after the administration of any COVID vaccine currently administered in the USA
Experiencing side effects is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is a sign that your body is responding.
“The good news for us is that a quick response equals an effective response,” Dr. Mark Loafman, president of family and community medicine for Cook County Health in Illinois, told NBC. “It simply came to our notice then. Our body forms a robust immune response and we consider this to be a positive thing. So we tend to see vaccines that have a higher rate of effectiveness also have more of the so-called side effects or symptoms because they work so well. “
According to Pfizer, approximately 3.8% of clinical trial participants experienced fatigue as a side effect and 2% suffered from headaches.
Moderna says that 9.7% of their participants felt tired and 4.5% had headaches.
The CDC reports that the most common side effects for vaccines are at the injection site. They include:
Common side effects in the body include:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Chills
- Fever
- Nausea
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people stay around 15 minutes after vaccination and those with a history of other allergies for 30 minutes so that they can be monitored and treated immediately if they have a reaction.
Are side effects more likely after the first or second dose?
With two-shot vaccines, people are more likely to report side effects after the second dose, experts said.
According to the CDC, the side effects after the second shot “may be more intense than those you experienced after the first shot.”
“These side effects are normal signs that your body is protecting buildings and should disappear in a few days,” the CDC said.
In studies of both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, several people experienced side effects after the second dose.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get the second shot if you get side effects after your first, experts say.
“When people get the second dose, they get the second booster to try to get the maximum effectiveness,” said Dr. Edward Cachay, a specialist in infectious diseases at UCSD.
The CDC also mentioned that both photos are needed.
“The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and the COVID-19 Modern Vaccine need two photos to get the most protection,” the CDC said. “You should get the second vaccine, even if you have side effects after the first vaccine, unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to get it.”
Are certain people more likely to experience side effects?
There are also some factors that can make you more likely to experience side effects.
The top doctor in Chicago said Thursday that younger people are more likely to experience side effects “because younger people have a more robust immune system in general.”
And, according to Loafman, it is the body’s immune system that creates the symptoms.
“This is simply a reflection of the immune response, as we have when we get sick,” he said.
Arwady also noted that women are more likely to report side effects than men.
“Some of this is due to the fact that women can only be better reporters … but there is probably something real in this regard as well, because something else interesting for those who don’t know as much about immunity is that autoimmune diseases are much more likely in women as well, “Arwady said.” And even the most serious, such as allergic reactions, more severe allergic reactions? More likely in women. ”
Why is that?
Arwady said estrogen can boost immune responses, while testosterone can lower it. At the same time, she mentioned that “a lot of immunomodulatory genes” can live on an “x” chromosome, which women have two, while men have one.
“So there are all these reasons why the kind of immunity generally increases a little differently in women than in men,” she said. “And so we see women, a little more likely to report some of the side effects.”
Data from the CDC also reported that women were more likely to experience side effects than men, according to monitoring from the first month of vaccinations.
From December 14 to January 13, more than 79% of side effects were reported by women, the data show. Meanwhile, women received about 61.2% of the doses given at the same time.
Side effects can also vary depending on whether or not you have had coronavirus.
“We’ve seen more likely that people will report some side effects because it acts little like a booster dose of the immune system,” Arwady said. “Your immune system has already learned some of those lessons on how to protect yourself, not in such a long way, nor in such a protective way.”
“It’s also probably that booster effect,” Arwady said.
Loafman agrees.
“If you had COVID some time ago or already have some immunity, it’s more like a booster,” he said. And stimulants for some people are completely asymptomatic, stimulants for other people trigger their immune response against it, so that they have a certain inflammation.
But not having side effects is not a negative thing, say health experts.
“If you don’t have side effects, it doesn’t mean you’re not protected,” Arwady said. “I want to be very clear about that.”
According to Loafman, it simply means “your body has not reacted with such an inflammatory response.
“You’re still making antibodies,” he said.
According to Loafman, each person’s response is unique.
“It’s really a kind of reflection of how unique each of our systems is, what other immunities we have,” he said. “You know, a lot of antibodies react crosswise and we have cross-reactivity, so it’s really a mosaic. Each of our immune systems is a mosaic composite of everything we’ve been through and everything we’ve had and everything we’ve had recently. “Our individual response varies. Everyone gets the right immune response.”