Will Vaccination hesitancy be a barrier to full population inoculation against COVID-19-by Dr Harold Gunatillake
Website:www.Doctorharold.com
Transcript:
Global number of COVID-19 cases is currently at over 95 million, and it can be difficult to remain optimistic that we will see the end of the pandemic anytime soon.
Will the growing hesitancy among people for the vaccines worsen the situation of the ongoing pandemic?
People are in a quandary asking the question, if I want to be inoculated which vaccine is safe and immunity lasting?
Furthermore, can currently authorized vaccines protect against newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants?
We need to talk about the variants on another day.
There are 77 Vaccine Candidates, 200 trials and 8 approved vaccines.
There are three main types of vaccines manufactured presently,
Three types of Vaccines
mRNA vaccines Viral vector vaccines Traditional attenuated virus vaccines *mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer-BioN Tech, has gained authorization for use in 50 countries. These include the United States, the United Kingdom and the 27 countries that make up the European Union. *Moderna, is another mRNA vaccine from Massachusetts is currently authorized in 36 countries. These include the US, the UK, and EU. Countries.
The second types of vaccine are the viral vector vaccines such as the Oxford AstraZeneca, and Sputnik V developed by the Russians.
The Viral vector-based vaccines differ from most conventional vaccines in that they do not actually contain antigens, but rather use the body’s own cells to produce them They do this by using a modified virus (the vector) to deliver genetic code for antigen, in the case of COVID-19 spike proteins found on the surface of the virus, into human cells. By infecting cells and instructing them to make large amounts of antigen, which then trigger an immune response, the vaccine mimics what happens during natural infection with certain pathogens – especially viruses. This has the advantage of triggering a strong cellular immune response by T cells as well the production of antibodies by B cells.
Can old, debilitated people trigger a strong cellular immune response, or will the spike proteins cause a full-blown infection? The researchers have not thought of this issue.
One could explain why 23 old people died from Pfizer mRNA vaccine in Denmark. In the light of these deaths, inoculation of frail people in Denmark has been left for the doctors to decide on future vaccinations on old people.
In its report, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said that 21 women and eight men had side effects. Beside those who died, the agency said nine had serious side effects without a fatal consequence and seven had less serious side effects. The nine patients had allergic reactions, strong discomfort and severe fever while the less serious side effects included severe pain at the injection site.
Oxford-AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine has gained authorization in seven countries, these are These are Argentina, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, India, Mexico, Morocco, and the U.K. Covishield manufactured in India is another viral vector vaccine.
The third type of vaccine is the conventional one produced in India. i.e., Covaxin an inactivated virus vaccine. This is manufactured in India by Bharat Tech and is manufactured like the known traditional vaccines such as those old vaccines for immunization against diphtheria, typhoid, mumps and so on.
Covaxin is the authorized vaccine for Sri Lanka.
The emergence of certain unpleasant side-effects from the mRNA vaccines has marred the potential of these international vaccines. Many have reported allergies, and other adverse reactions, even death have also been reported.
However, Indian medical authorities opine that Covax the vaccine produce by the known traditional way, in comparison to Moderna and Pfizer, both recently approved vaccines, is safer and side-effect free.
Dr Rahul Pandit, Director-Critical Care, Fortis Hospitals, Mumbai & Member of Maharashtra’s COVID19 task force, adds, “Their vaccines have been certified 100% safe, however, some side effects like mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine, so do not worry and get your vaccine shot.
Most importantly, do not believe in rumours; if in doubt talk to your doctor.”
“The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has formally approved Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield for restricted use in the country. The approval by the DCGI was given based on recommendations submitted by a COVID-19 Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). This is a big progressive step in the journey towards making India COVID-19 free.”
It is said by the researchers that mRNA vaccines can generate a stronger type of immunity: they stimulate the immune system to make antibodies and immune system killer cells.
So, this new technology is simply an insertion of the right mRNA sequence for that disease. The Indian produced vaccine by Bharat Biotech is a traditionally produced vaccine with either weakened or attenuated viruses like the vaccines we have had for typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, smallpox, mumps, and in most situations, there is long lasting immunity with one shot.
Sinopharm vaccine and sinovac vaccines are also inactivated virus vaccines. Authorised in China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates Indonesia, and Turkey I must say at the outset these old traditional vaccines have stood the test of time, and we are convinced that the immunity lasts a long time, even lifetime, and hopefully Covaxin being a traditional vaccine will give the same lifetime immunity, we hope.
Along the way, the mRNA vaccines as against the traditional vaccines can generate a stronger type of immunity by stimulating the immune system to make antibodies and immune system killer cells. Now, we find the mRNA vaccine candidates show a drop in neutralizing antibody counts after three months. According to the data from Science Direct, antibodies persisted up to six months after injection, but dropped as much as 90% in that time. Neutralizing antibodies normally bind to invading pathogens, like all antibodies do, but they bind in a manner that stops infection. So, the stark difference between the three types of vaccines reveals that the traditional vaccines seem to give longer immunity as proved through test of time, hopefully the present vaccine for COIVID-19.
Time will tell us, which vaccine will give us the least amount of side effects. I have taken much of your time in this presentation. I hope this talk will benefit all those people waiting to have the jab.
Best of luck, stay safe and goodbye for now.
“A vaccine’s design isn’t the only factor that determines how strong our immune response is. As Menno van Zelm and Paul Gill show, there are four other variables that make each person’s response to a vaccine unique: their age, their genes, lifestyle factors and what previous infections they have been exposed to. It may be that not everyone gets long-lasting immunity from a vaccine.
The traditional vaccines have proved their efficacy and long-lasting immunity, over the years with minimum side effects, cheaper to make, cheaper to transport and furthermore our bodies are accustomed to them”
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and whilst the author will endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, eLanka makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the eLanka website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this article for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In otherwords, eLanka In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website / article. Also please note that through this website / web page articles you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of eLanka and therefore we have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them
