I was vaccinated with Covishield as part of India’s effort to vaccinate health care workers. The Covishield was the only option then, and my hubby and I both took it.
Table of contents
- What’s Covishield?
- What about the Sputnik V vaccine?
- What about the COVAXIN?
- What is in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 Vaccine?
- Why did the Indian Govt not approve Pfizer for emergency use earlier?
- How long does the COVID vaccine protection last?
- Will someone get the infection even if vaccinated?
- How long should you wait to get vaccinated after a COVID 19 infection?
- Should pregnant women get vaccines?
- Worried about which vaccine to take?
- If you are worrying about where to take the vaccine?
- How to register for the vaccine online in India?
- What about those people who still don’t care.
What’s Covishield?
Covishield of Oxford-AstraZeneca is manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune.It was one of the first vaccines to be approved by the DGCI.
It’s an adenovirus vaccine that has a harmless virus as the vector to carry spike protein. The body then produces antibodies against the spike protein. The premise being if and when the COVID 19 virus infects someone immunized with Covishield, the body will recognize the Spike protein and kill the virus.
The problem – immunity develops to the Spike protein but sometimes in vaccines like this, host immunity also develops to the adenoviral vector.
That is where Sputnik V scores.
What about the Sputnik V vaccine?
It uses two different virus vector for its two doses
I attended a webinar on Sputnik V and was interested to know more about it. Now Sputnik is approved for use in India. Plus, unlike the Pfizer vaccine, it does not need extraordinary temperature for storage and transport. It’s made in Russia. In collaboration with DrReddys in India, Sputnik did the bridge trial in the Indian population.
On May 1st the first doses of this vaccine will reach India.There’s an agreement for 85 crore doses per year of the Sputnik V being manufactured in India.Russia’s RDIF Sovereign wealth fund has tied up with multiple Indian????????companies to make this possible .
The DGCI approved for restricted emergency use the foreign produced vaccines which have received approval in USFDA,UK MDA ,EMA ,PMDA Japan.
What about the COVAXIN?
COVAXIN is India’s COVID-19 vaccine. It is developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology.
It is a whole virion inactivated Vero-cell-derived vaccine. It is a technology that is tried and tested. The dead virus cannot infect, but the protein can signal the body to learn from it and mount an immune response. It is a two-dose vaccine, too, and is stable at 2-8 degrees celsius.
Covaxin is our very own Made in India vaccine, which, as ICMR has said and Dr.Antony Fauci agrees, can neutralize all mutant variables of the COVID 19 virus. Since it is the complete antigen, the antibodies are produced to the entire structure. Multi mutants can be effectively killed by it. These make COVAXIN very well suited for the Indian population.
- Made in India
- Easy distribution and storage
- Effective against all mutations
- Economical
It has 81% efficacy. It’s effective against most of the mutant variants of COVID 19.
Today I thought I will tell you a bit about the mRNA vaccine, which is what the USA is getting. It is now also a favorite query point for many.
What is in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 Vaccine?
It is not a live vaccine. Its a messenger RNA vaccine is having both natural substance and synthetic components. The mRNA, once inside your cells, instruct it to make the viral Spike protein. Your body then creates its immunity against that particular protein. It also helps your body memorize the sequence of events so that if and when the actual viral infect, the body can mount its immunity against it.
Pfizer and Moderna have made history with the technological advancement of the mRNA vaccine. This is the first time such vaccines are approved for human use.
The problem with it is multifactorial.
Point to be remembered the mRNA does not have the information to create all the viral proteins or incite immunity against the whole virus, but a specific part. This means the mRNA will not cause an actual infection. It also means the immunity is technically only partial.
The mRNA is unstable. It needs a lipid nanoparticle for safe passage into cells. For stability, Pfizer vaccines need minus 94 degrees Celsius temperature. That’ a big hurdle for most countries. The technology is also patented and expensive as of now. India, along with several countries requested the companies to temporarily remove IP Intellectual property rights for the mRNA technology so that more vaccines can be produced in other countries quickly. That’s not yet approved.
The good news is USA is considering the gift of their Astra Zeneca Covishield vaccine once it passes the FDA regulations. Interestingly it is not yet approved for emergency use in America.
Now the problem with Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccine is their requirements for storage at sub-zero temperatures. That is the type of cold chain which is difficult in countries like India.
Why did the Indian Govt not approve Pfizer for emergency use earlier?
They were apparently not willing to do a bridging trial on the Indian population(Both AstraZeneca and Sputnik did this) and retracted the request . It’s always about money and previous commitments.
Nevertheless, now they have emergency use approval, but they still need to do a bridge trial.
The World has a diverse population. What works for the Western World could work differently in Indians. The point is to know science and statistics. Not people with agendas.
What is the best solution? Giving people a choice in those places in India where such a cold storage facility is possible. Remember, a mass vaccination campaign is different from a targeted vaccination campaign. The easier it is to produce the vaccine, store it, transport it, and immunize the citizens, the better it is health-wise and economy-wise.
Ignore negativity and opinions with no ground reality checks India fought polio successfully, but it took time.
COVID 19 will take time, but we will fight this and win the battle too.Know your choices.
How long does the COVID vaccine protection last?
No data is available yet about how long the protection will last for any of the vaccines.
Will someone get the infection even if vaccinated?
The full immunization starts 4 to 6 weeks after the second dose of the vaccine. Even then, a small percentage may have breakthrough infections. Data about that is still being collected.
We know that fully vaccinated people seem to have less chance of severe complications from the disease.
That is true for chickenpox and many other viral vaccines too.
So right now, getting the vaccine you have in hand is worth two in the bush!
How long should you wait to get vaccinated after a COVID 19 infection?
After testing Negative, at least 4 to 6 weeks is an excellent period to wait before the immunization.
Should pregnant women get vaccines?
Currently, India has opened vaccination for all above the age of 18. You should get vaccinated if not otherwise contraindicated. For specifics, you should consult your doctor.
Worried about which vaccine to take?
Stop worrying. Take the one available to you, your friends and family have taken, your doctor has taken.
If you are worrying about where to take the vaccine?
Govt or private your choice.
How to register for the vaccine online in India?
You can register through the CoWin portal from 28th April.
Using your phone number you can register upto 4 people. Each person will need their valid photo identification. Vaccination will start from 1st May in the 18-45 age group. You can choose a center nearest to you.
You can also register through the Arogya Setu app through the CoWin Tab on the Home page. Valid Id proof needed.
Once you receive both doses of vaccines you will get your COVID vaccination completed certificate.Dont share the certificate anywhere on social media.Its not a good idea.
If you can pay for the vaccine, do so.
If you are worried about whether to take it- take it
If you are concerned about whether it will work, you have a better chance of fighting. It’s like a helmet, not an extra life.
What about those people who still don’t care.
Stop caring about them. Do your part.
What about the neighborhood uncle who tested positive, and you were just chatting with him the day before?
Get tested.Wear a mask and self-isolate till the test come back negative Stay positive.
References ,Resources and reading
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.26.426986v2
https://www.pfizer.com/news/hot-topics/the_facts_about_pfizer_and_biontech_s_covid_19_vaccine#_edn4
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/foreign-vax-makers-yet-to-chart-india-course-11618770043411.html
https://theintercept.com/2021/04/29/covid-vaccine-factory-production-ip_
Writing this for the BlogchatterAto Z .This is R .