When the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine was first approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, it was Milestone By changing the flow of coronavirus.
However, since then, this highly effective vaccine has suffered a lot of reputational damage. January, German news agency And the President of France Emmanuel Macron Despite the lack of evidence to support this, he falsely claimed that it had little effect on people over the age of 65.
However, there is a lack of concrete evidence of how protective the vaccine is to the elderly, and some European countries Limit vaccines to under 65..Together, it looks like these factors created High level skepticism Europe and low level uptake.
Thankfully, however, more information about how well the vaccine works is always arriving – and seeing the positive effects of the vaccine, A few Country Currently, they are overturning their restrictions on giving it for over 65 years. This is what we have ever known about the effectiveness of vaccines.
Oxford / AstraZeneca vs Other
Studies have suggested that it is slightly less protective than other vaccines.For example, Pfizer prevented symptomatological disorders 95% The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine did, while the test time 70% at the time.
However, recent real-world data from the UK suggest that the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine may actually be a bit better than Pfizer prophylaxis. Serious illness And Hospitalization..However, these studies are not set to avoid External bias affecting results.. For example, the Pfizer vaccine was first deployed and may have been disproportionately given to more vulnerable people. It also means that these studies are preprints and have not yet been checked by other scientists.
Therefore, it is not yet clear whether the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is more or less effective in preventing Covid-19 than other vaccines. The important thing to keep in mind is that all licensed vaccines are safe and provide a very good level of protection against Covid-19. If a vaccine is provided, you should take it.
Protection of the elderly
Early stages of the test – a combination of Phase 1 and Phase 2 – I strongly recommend it The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine will protect the elderly. It showed that the vaccine produced an immune response in older participants as strong as in younger participants.
However, this alone did not prove that the vaccine was effective in this age group, as it is not known how different parts of the immune response act on the virus. And in Phase III trials, the final stage of testing designed to prove that vaccines are defensive, there are enough people to give reliable estimates of this group’s defenses for over 55 years. did not.
It is unclear exactly how defensive the vaccine is to the elderly.But recent preprints suggest it works very well.. A single shot of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine appears to reduce the chances of being hospitalized for Covid-19 after the first dose by 80%.
Against new variants
It depends on the variant. A Preprint It suggests that the vaccine may be as effective against the UK mutant B117 as it was against previous forms of coronavirus.
However, against the subspecies B1351 that is prevalent in South Africa, Preprint It suggests that it may be much less effective in preventing mild to moderate illness than previous forms of the virus.It is believed that this is due to a mutation called E484K, Existing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Can’t bind to it..
Sara Gilbert, Principal Investigator, Oxford Vaccine Development Program, I believe The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine protects against serious illness even in the face of these mutants. However, this has not yet been proven.
Variants distributed in New York (B1526) And Brazil (P1) There is also this E484K mutation. There are still no data on how well the vaccine works against these mutants, but it is possible that they may struggle as well.
Meanwhile, vaccine developers have confirmed that the vaccine can be fine-tuned to treat these mutations.They have updated boosters Ready by autumn..
Are there any side effects?
You may experience some, but they should not be serious or long lasting. Common side effects These include pain patches with needles in the arms, temperature, pain, malaise, and feeling sick. These are not necessarily bad. It shows that the immune system is aware of the vaccine and is responding to it.
In France and Germany Report Over 40% of healthcare professionals who experience flu-like symptoms after vaccination are worried about people.However, these effects were also seen with the vaccine combination. Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials.. Researchers found that taking paracetamol helped and that these effects were largely subsided after 7 days.
Delay the second dose
The dosing interval is a bit controversial, as the 12-week gap left between them in the UK differs from the dosing schedule submitted for regulatory approval by the manufacturer.
However, it appears that the second dose is delayed to 12 weeks after the first dose is actually given. good idea.. Protection from the first injection seems to last, if the second vaccine is given 12 weeks later instead of the originally proposed 4 weeks Produces a stronger immune response..
Sarah Pit He is a Fellow at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Brighton, and is a Principal Lecturer in Microbiology and Biomedical Sciences Practice.
This article first appeared conversation..
