The effectiveness of the three most advanced vaccines in the west of the planet varies between 70% and 95%. The specialist states that the time of immunity offered by vaccines is not yet known.
While humanity is still celebrating the approval of immunization against the COVID-19 virus; news of the effectiveness and side effects of each vaccine is starting to flood the news.
Currently, there are five vaccines that are in more advanced stages, those of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca for the western part of the planet, and for the east are the Russians Sputnik V and the Chinese CanSino.
In the case of the Pfizer vaccine, which has begun to be applied in the United States, there are already people talking about side effects.
Infectologist Jorge Panameño explained that the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced in November last year that it is 95% efficient, while Moderna, an American company that announced in the same month, that its results in phase III of the investigation gave 94.1 % effective.
You may be interested: The Government of El Salvador bans flights from the United Kingdom and South Africa due to a new strain of COVID-19
As for the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine, it is about to be approved in the UK to be distributed and delivered to millions of people a week, according to British government sources. This is a vaccine that is known to be 70% effective, says Panameño.
The infectologist explains that there are two vaccines that are quite similar, these are those of Pfizer and Modern because they have the same mechanism of action composed of genetic material, surrounded by a lipid membrane (barrier) that acts as a transporter.
Iván Solano Leiva, infectologist and member of the Medical Observatory of El Salvador, agrees that there are similarities between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in their construction by synthetic messenger RNA.
As for the differences, they are said to be on application days, where Pfizer applies the second dose 21 days (0-21 days) after placing the first; and the second dose of Moderna is placed at 28 days (0-28 days).
While the AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine uses an adenovirus of simian origin as a transporter (collected from chimpanzees) that inactivates the COVID-19 virus so that the infection does not occur. Because it is available, the second dose will be placed at 28 days (0-28 days), says Solano Leiva.
The similarity of the three vaccines is that they are directed against the S2 protein, which is the virus’s spike protein (crown-shaped spike).
Also: Are COVID-19 vaccines effective against the new strain detected in the UK? That’s what experts say
“The Russian vaccine has the same mechanism, Sputnik V, uses an adenovirus that injects genetic material into the cell and this generates the production of particles that are very similar to SARS-CoV-2 viral receptors and creates the body produces antibodies against these receptors and would provide protection against the virus by destroying them “, explains Panameño.
Solano Leiva states that the Russian vaccine did not develop phase III studies when the population of that country began to be vaccinated, so they have jumped into the research phase and are currently initiating phase III studies and are awaiting the results.
The Chinese vaccine, says the infectologist, has the same composition, because it works with adenovirus V.
The Panamanian points out that along the way, between phases I, II and III, 52 more vaccines are being developed, which by the end of 2021 would be ready between 15 and 20, in order to reach the approval stage.
Solano Leiva says there are more than 150 vaccines being developed in research.
As for the costs of immunizations, he adds that Pfizer will cost about $ 30 to $ 50 per dose, in addition to the fact that this company will not participate in the COVAX initiative, which aims to provide affordable prices for all countries.
The Moderna vaccine will cost between 30 and 40 dollars per dose, and AstraZeneca said that during the pandemic they will be available, at a cost of 3 euros or $ 3.67 per dose.
OUT OF: The Treasury will pay $ 4.1 million to reserve the vaccine
The arrival of the vaccine in the country
The Panamanian also stated that he is not sure that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available in the first quarter of 2021, as it has suffered delays in its authorization, so for now the best hope is based on the Covax mechanism, promoted by the World Organization. of Health (WHO).
In El Salvador, between eight million and twelve million doses will be needed, because two doses per person are needed for an immunization program that seeks the immune barrier.
In terms of risk groups, at lower mortality levels are health workers, people over 60, the chronically ill (diabetics, hypertensives, asthmatics, obese, people with heart problems, kidneys, smokers), but priorities are determined by each nation.
“In order to have vaccines other than Oxford AstraZeneca, it is not just a matter of having the funds to buy them, but also of buying a complicated and expensive infrastructure. But no one is sure, in developing countries like ours, when we will have the vaccines and when they will be applied, they should not contain the pandemic, but rather the number, the amount (of doses) to allow its application to people. with high risk “, underlines Panameño.
The AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine is 70% effective, the company said. EDH / AFP photography
Side effects
Regarding the side effects of the vaccine, Panameño points out that it has been observed that there are allergic events and that it is striking that they occurred only in health personnel, “so some of the contraindications of this vaccine are people who are very allergic in different situations, and this has been identified and all cases have been treated and passed on “, says the infectologist.
He points out that vaccine studies are ongoing and that approvals have been urgent, so it will be necessary to further observe what other situations arise before vaccines are applied and what happens to reactions are controllable.
Solano Leiva believes that local reactions occur, such as fever, redness at the vaccine site, headache, general discomfort that disappears in most cases.
OUT OF: The first trucks with the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 leave for hospitals in the USA.
Side effects
Pfizer says there have been no serious vaccine problems so far. “The only reported serious effect, which occurs in 2% or more of those vaccinated, is that 3.8% of patients were tired and 2% had a headache,” Pfizer said this month. In the United States, three people have had allergic reactions to this vaccine. Infectologist Iván Solano Leiva says that the reactions that occur are local and disappear soon, such as general malaise, fever, headache and redness in the area where the vaccine was introduced.
Vaccine myths
Infectologists Iván Solano Leiva and Jorge Panameño explain that people have begun to create myths about vaccines, including that it is an international conspiracy and that they will inject us with a chip or genetic changes, rumors generated by anti-vaccine movements. Another myth is that with the administration of the vaccine there will be an immediate end to the pandemic, which is false, therefore, sanitary measures must be observed, such as the use of a mask and hand washing. Another myth is that we will be guinea pigs, which is not true because it has already been tested on people who volunteered for testing.