5 Things You Should Know About COVID Vaccines: It’s Not a “Magic Wand”

President Donald Trump does not keep secret that he wants the COVID-19 vaccine to be available before the election. However, it is doubtful that this will happen, and even after the vaccine has been approved by the FDA, there is a long wait before it is time to declare victory over the virus.

Dozens of vaccine candidates are in various trial stages around the world, 11 At the final stage Number of pre-approval clinical trials — One or more, including four in the United States, have proven safe and effective and may enter the market in the coming months. So what do you do?

Here are five things to consider to make your vaccine dream come true:

1. Vaccines are essential to fight the virus, but it does not immediately return to our old life.

Vaccines have helped remove smallpox-like tragedy from the world, but the process is time consuming and unguaranteed. No one knows how effective they will be until the clinical trials of this first vaccine candidate are completed.

The minimum requirement of the Food and Drug Administration for the COVID-19 vaccine is that it must demonstrate at least 50% efficacy when compared to placebo, a neutral saline solution.

By comparison, the range of annual influenza vaccines 40% to 60% effect To prevent illness, depending on the season you examined with the recipient.In contrast, a full course of measles vaccine is about 97% valid..

“It’s very unlikely that a first-generation vaccine will be like a measles vaccine,” he said. Ameshua Darha, A physician with infectious disease expertise and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Health and Security Center.

2. After the vaccine is approved, the actual evaluation will be carried out.

Vaccines undergo a lengthy testing process involving thousands of subjects. They only gain FDA approval after demonstrating safety and meeting at least the minimum efficacy criteria. Surveillance will continue after it hits the market. After millions of doses, efficacy and rare side effects or safety issues become more apparent.

Let’s say the first new COVID vaccine proves to be 70% effective in preventing disease. That is, 7 out of 10 people who roll up their sleeves are protected, but 3 are not.

That’s good news for those who are protected, but the question remains as to who is covered and who is still vulnerable. According to Adalja, the vaccine may help reduce the severity of the disease in the remaining three people, thereby reducing hospitalization and serious side effects.

However, it is also true that regulators are focusing on whether vaccines prevent the disease. Some vaccines can prevent you from getting sick without preventing the infection. In that case, the virus can be spread without showing symptoms.

At least for now, the mystery remains. For example, scientists don’t know how long protection will last. Does protection diminish and require annual injections, like the flu? Or will it last for years?

In addition, COVID vaccine candidates have been tested only in adults so far.Most vaccine makers Delay test For example, among children and pregnant and lactating women. This can mean an early delay in safety and efficacy data for these groups, complicating vaccination efforts for children and front-line healthcare professionals (mostly women of childbearing age). To

For all these reasons, “If you’re looking for a magic wand, the vaccine doesn’t have it,” he said. William SchaffnerProfessor of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “That said, vaccines will play an important role in reducing epidemics.”

3. Even after the vaccine has been approved, you may need to wait for a while before receiving the injection.

Vaccine production is complex. And so is distributing them. Vaccine makers say they are already making vaccines before they know if they will get approval. However, a well-supplied vaccine does not mean that a manufacturer can immediately ship all the glass bottles, syringes, and syringes it needs. In fact, some experts impede the distribution of approved vaccines due to a lack of both production line capacity (requires special equipment to produce vaccines under strict aseptic conditions) and limited supply. I’m afraid there is a possibility. Many vaccine candidates need to be shipped and stored at very low temperatures, adding to the complexity.

“Even if you have a vaccine, that doesn’t mean you can ship it. There are multiple steps and all of them need to work,” said Ezekiel Emmanuel, Vice-President of the University of Pennsylvania. The doctor says. warning Of potential shortage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Academy of Sciences Framework Who should prioritize the first vaccine. State and local health departments also have a say in how supply is developed.

The current recommendations are for healthcare professionals and those with the highest risk of being infected with the virus. People living in nursing homes and other apartments are also on the list. Further down is the average healthy adult.

Pay attention and go when it’s your turn, Schaffner said.

“If they say it’s time for middle-aged people with chronic underlying illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and lung disease, you know what you have and it’s your turn. You have to understand that there is, “he said. “You also need to understand if it’s your turn yet. Be patient.”

Finally, many of the vaccines under consideration need to be given twice at intervals of several weeks, which increases the delay. If multiple vaccines are approved, you will probably need to get a second vaccine from the same manufacturer as the first vaccine. This proves a record-keeping nightmare and can lead to more delays, depending on how the vaccine supply is maintained.

In a pre-parliamentary testimony in mid-September, CDC director Robert Redfield said tens of millions of vaccines could begin to be available by late November or December.However Vaccine distribution logistics Until Redfield’s forecast of “late second quarter and third quarter of 2021,” the country will not be able to return to “normal life.”

4. So don’t throw away the mask yet.

Experts say that any vaccine may be less than 100% effective and will not spread for some time, requiring the use of masks and the maintenance of social distance.

“Vaccines are just the beginning, but we need to do what we’ve talked about, such as hand hygiene, wearing masks, and especially continuing from a distance,” said Dr. Kurtika Kuppari, an assistant professor of infectious diseases. .. At the Medical University of South Carolina. “These are the weapons of the tools we need to use.”

5. What if I don’t want to get vaccinated?

Polls show that a significant percentage of Americans do not want a vaccine or want to wait a bit before vaccination. Do they need to get a shot?

Certain employers, such as hospitals and food factories, may require workers to be vaccinated, but federal obligations are very unlikely and probably unconstitutional, the professor said. Dorit Rubinstein Rice, University of California Hastings College of Law Employers and Vaccine Law Experts.

A possible approach by public health authorities is to educate people about the benefits and potential side effects of vaccines, from whether they experience arm pain.

“That’s what we do for all vaccines,” said Johns Hopkins Adalja. The requirement for vaccination of the general public creates resistance and “promotes conspiracy theory,” he said.

most Public health regulations According to Reese, it is classified as state government, municipality, and health agency. The state “is likely to have narrow or specific powers to survive judicial review,” she said.

Of course, schools require students to be vaccinated against various illnesses. However, the obligation of school-age COVID vaccines is questionable, at least in the short term, as the vaccine has not been tested in school-age children.

Generally speaking, employers, including the federal government, Have power Demand vaccination, especially if no union members have contracts that may limit their power. However, all employers face the restrictions set by the Civil Rights Act and the Disability Act and may have to provide alternatives to those who are or are not vaccinated. Said Reese.