Watching vaccination progress updated weekly–or even daily–has become a spectator sport. And it has also become a national past time. In fact, vaccination fascination has taken hold of the imagination of the entire globe.
Of course, when we read vaccine news, we know immediately, that we are speaking of the COVID-19 vaccine. We all hover on the threshold of medical discoveries and manufacturing miracles. We wish for, pray for and work for a vaccine to end to the terrible version of the coronavirus, labeled COVID-19.
Striving for a Vaccination Progress
World Laboratories Are Rushing to Develop a Vaccine For COVID-19.
As of today, health experts have announced that we have not 1 but “close to 200 vaccines for the disease. These are under study and several candidates have moved to phase III human studies.”
As you might already realize, phase III is the final step before FDA approval.
Judging A Safe Vaccine: FDA Proof of Truth in Safety and Effectiveness
The FDA demands that any vaccination against COVID-19 must be proven safe and effective. However, how do they define that goal? Let’s look at two goals which are also requirements at the heart of the FDA’s judgement.
- Previous to approval by the FDA, a vaccine must demonstrate that , it will “prevent infection or decrease its severity in at least 50% of the people vaccinated.”
- And the FDA clarifies that requirement by stating the underlying truth of any vaccination. The experts state that the goal “is to inoculate enough people with a vaccine that immunity spreads through a community, even if not everyone gets the vaccine.”
Good News and Bad News: What is Herd Immunity?
If you understand the above two basic facts, then you understand the term of “herd immunity.” To put it simply, many experts have declared that 60-70% of the population must develop antibodies.” When this is accomplished, we have created herd immunity. That is quite a challenge since the herd is all of humanity.
Herre is the good news. 60-70 percent of the population does not have to have the virus to get the antibodies. We can attain those antibodies from a vaccination as well as from surviving COVID-19.
How Will the Public Tolerate Vaccination?
Vaccination is Our Best Defense Against COVID-19. We Hope to Soon See a Safe and Effective Vaccine.
When we look at those percentages, we fear that we might not be able to vaccinate enough people even after we have secured the vaccine. Likewise, we fear, they might reject taking the vaccinations. Why would they reject life-saving vaccinations? The answer is they fear the disease or the drug.
In fact the Associated Press, recently released a poll saying only about half of Americans said they would get a vaccine.
30 percent said they wasn’t sure if they’d get vaccinated. Additionally, one in five said they’d flatly refuse taking a vaccination for COVID-19. We’ll be speaking more about this phenomenon in a forthcoming blog.
This fear factor, especially on the part of parents, makes one point vitally clear. “vaccine manufacturers must show that their vaccine is safe.” Only then can become we become a vaccinated nation, committed to the task.
Only the Phase III trials will confirm which vaccines prove safe and effective enough for the FDA to pass to the public. So, let’s look at a couple of the front-running companies that are in contention for FDA approval. These COVID vaccines are in Phase III:
1. AstraZeneca & University of Oxford
These two big names combined resources to create a vaccine. Interestingly enough, it is “made from a weakened version of a common cold virus, the adenovirus, taken from chimpanzees.” Keep in mind they have genetically altered this adenovirus. It cannot reproduce. Plus it has “genes of the spike protein to trigger production of antibodies against it…” This addition allows the human’s own immune system to destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“One dose of the vaccine resulted in a 4-fold increase in antibodies in 95% of participants a month after vaccination. And a T-cell response was maintained at the 2-month mark. Two doses produced the strongest immune response.” Importantly, the test patients reported no serious side effects. It is exciting to know that AstraZeneca has committed to creating and supplying 2 billion does of the vaccine. Likewise they promise 400 million does by the end of the year.
2. Vaccination Progress: BioNtech, Pfizer & Fosun Pharma
These companies have banded together to test four vaccines. All four of them use each using messenger RNA in different combinations to target antigens and produce antibodies. Called BNT162b2, the final test for the vaccine will include up to 30,000 participants ages 18 to 85 at about 120 sites globally. Truly a world-wide initiative.
In early testing, the vaccine helped test subjects produce antibodies at or above levels found in the blood of people recovering from COVID-19. This vaccine does produce mild side effects.
3. Another Big Name: Moderna and the National Institutes of Health
Moderna partnered with the National Institutes of Health early in the arrival of COVID-19. They hit phase III of the vaccine trial on July 27 and they expect to enroll 30,000 adult volunteers. Earlier in July, Moderna announced that every person who received its vaccine, entitled mRNA-1273, developed an immune response to the virus. (Of course the initial test was very small.) It is true to say scientists also reported some side effects in the 45 people of the initial phase I study. However, there were no big safety issues.
It’s All About the Spike
Some Researchers Believe, It’s All About the Spikes.
Moderna’s formula also uses messenger RNA, called mRNA.
“It carries the instruction for making the spike protein.” The spike is a “key protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to enter cells when a person is infected.” The clever messenger RNA tells immune cells to make copies of the spike protein. Thus the immune cells can mimic the actual infection while other immune cells create actual immunity. See more about the spike in one of our previous blog articles. The science is truly fascinating.
Terrific Take-Aways from Vaccination Progress Updates
There are many more pharmaceutical companies involved with creating vaccines. However, companies listed above are the names you will probably hear in the near future.
Thank you for reading the FLASS blog this week and if you missed last week’s blog, please check out the story of our new physician. And then, be sure to join us in welcoming Dr. Prashanth Kanagarajah: the new doctor here at the Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists.