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On Monday, Presidential Minister Krzysztof Szczerski announced that Andrzej Duda talked with China’s leader Xi Jinping about the possible delivery of COVID-19 vaccines from this country. There were also voices about the possible import of Sputnik-V from Our Country. There are many indications that one of the coronavirus vaccines will be produced in Poland. What do we know about coronavirus vaccines?
- Currently, the vaccines used in the European Union are mainly Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca
- The preparation Sputnik-V has also been approved for use in Hungary. Czech authorities said on Monday that they would also start using the vaccine
- In turn, in the United States, a preparation by Johnson & Johnson has just been approved for use
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the most popular preparations for COVID-19. In addition, both are based on the same technology.
— There are no differences between the two vaccines – he said in the program “Onet Rano.” Dr. Grzesiowski, answering the questions which vaccine – Pfizer or Moderna – is more effective. – Both are manufactured according to the same technology. However, there are technical nuances between them that make the Moderna vaccine easier in terms of logistics, said the expert.
The difference is that Moderny can be stored longer in the refrigerator (up to 30 days after defrosting). With Pfizer, this time is much shorter, which means it has to be used up sooner. As for the other features, the vaccines are very similar – two doses are needed, it’s an intramuscular injection, the technology is mRNA-based, and their effectiveness is over 90%.
- Also check: There is a new mutation of the coronavirus. There are fears that B.1.525 will outsmart our defenses. Reason?
Both Pfizer and Moderna are new generation mRNA vaccines. Genetic vaccines use one or more genes of the virus to trigger an immune response in the body. This means that there is genetic information in the preparation, in this case about the structure of a protein on the spines of the virus, which causes the cells to start producing this protein. It is recognized by the body as “foreign”, which results in the production of appropriate antibodies.
Unlike traditional vaccines, mRNA-based preparations do not contain inactivated viruses or even parts of them, and are therefore designed to be safer.
AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccines
Both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are vector vaccines. They are based on the use of fragments of other viruses to elicit an immune response against a specific virus – in this case, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Like genetic vaccines, vector vaccines are a relatively new technology.
In the case of the AstraZeneca vaccine, studies have shown that its effectiveness is hovering at 60%. It is given in two doses. The temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius is sufficient for its transport and storage; can be kept in a refrigerator for at least six months. At the time when AstraZeneca was approved for use in European Union countries, there was not enough information on its effectiveness in people over 55 years of age. Currently, seniors receive it, among others in Great Britain, France and also in Poland.
- Also read: Can those vaccinated against COVID-19 continue to infect?
The COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson has just been approved in the United States, which means it will be widely used in that country. It is a single-dose vaccine with an effectiveness of 66%. It is relatively easy to transport. It does not require storage at such low temperatures as other preparations. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is relatively effective in South Africa, which means it can cope with the South African variant.
Vaccine against COVID-19 Sputnik-V
Sputnik-V is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be registered. The formulation was approved on August 11, before the necessary clinical trials were performed, causing concern and a wave of criticism. In November, the creators of the preparation announced that its effectiveness is estimated at 92 percent. On February 2, the National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Nikolai Gamalei published the results of the third clinical stage in the medical journal Lancet. They show that Sputnik-V has 91,6 percent. effectiveness. Currently, Sputnik-V is vaccinated not only by s, but also by Belarusians, Hungarians and Argentines. Czechs also want to use the preparation.
- This might also interest you: What happens between the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine?
Sputnik-V, like the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, is a vectored vaccine. It is based on adenoviruses, and more precisely on the combination of two appropriately modified ones: Ad5 and Ad26 (adenovirus itself cannot reproduce and does not cause disease, it is only a vector, i.e. a kind of genetic taxi capable of transferring a fragment of genetic material). Let us remind you that adenoviruses are responsible for upper respiratory tract infections, and they enter the body through droplets, similar to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Sputnik-V is taken in two doses, given two weeks apart (each containing a different type of adenovirus).
CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine
The Chinese vaccine against COVID-19, which President Andrzej Duda became interested in, belongs to the group of the so-called inactivated vaccines. Which means they contain “killed” microbes. They can cause infection, although these microorganisms are devoid of pathogenic properties. This is due to the effects of temperature, chemicals or radiation in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. Live vaccines, on the other hand, usually elicit stronger immunity, but are more reactive.
- The editorial office recommends: How to prepare for vaccination against COVID-19? Family doctors’ advice for seniors
This is what makes CoronaVac different from mRNA vaccines, i.e. vaccines that do not contain the coronavirus. Thus, their use does not pose a risk of secondary infection with this vaccine strain.
The way they work is that part of the genetic code of the coronavirus is injected into the body. This results in the production of viral proteins, not the entire virus. This is enough to “train” the immune system to attack.
However, prof. Luo Dahai of China’s Nanyang Technological University said in an interview with the BBC that “CoronaVac is a more traditional vaccine method that has been used successfully in many well-known diseases such as rabies.”
On mRNA vaccines, however, he said that “this is a new type of vaccine” and there is currently “no successful example of using them in the population”.
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine
Novavax is another COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered to Poland. At the beginning of February, Adam Niedzielski wrote on his Twitter that the Novavax preparation will soon appear in our country.
– EMA has started the approval process for another vaccine – Novavax. As the manufacturer declares the start of deliveries in the second quarter, we have contracted 8,4 million doses for Poland – the minister wrote.
It’s a vaccine that uses a coronavirus protein to trigger an immune response. This means that it is a different type of preparation than any other COVID-19 vaccine. On January 27, Novavax reported that the vaccine tested 89,3 percent. effective in preventing COVID-19 and was almost as effective in protecting against the more infectious variant from the Islands (85,6% effectiveness).
Novavax is extremely easy to store – it can be kept in a refrigerator at normal temperature.
According to Business Insider, the Polish company Mabion has signed a contract to produce Novavax vaccines.
Also read:
- What About Easter in a Pandemic? Experts are under no illusions
- Where can I get vaccinated against COVID-19? List of vaccination points
- What determines the effectiveness of vaccinations
- Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine one step away from market launch
- We get infected with the coronavirus during a short conversation. The air current accompanying the utterance of certain sounds carries it with dizzying speed
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