Hay que parar la transmision lo antes posible para evitar que aprezcan mas mutaciones
Los virus mutan, hay mas de 4000 variantes detectadas, la mejor forma de parar esto es evitar el contagio! Sean responsables y cuídense (usen tapaboca, mantengan distancia, respeten, coman sano, mediten, bailen, sonrían, ayuden, aprendan cosas nuevas, hagan ejercicio...) somos una gota en el océano, pero se necesita solo una gota para rebalsar un vaso lleno!
In the middle of the pandemic turmoil and a lot of pressure from the government and financial lobbies, AstraZeneca followed the clinical trial guidelines and paused their COVID vaccine AZD1222 trial. This phase III trial aimed to enroll up to 50,000 participants globally.
They had reported numerous low to mild adverse events during the first phases of the study, such as headaches and fever, however in this case a severe adverse event was a red flag that put the enterprise on hold. The latest information indicates that one female UK volunteer in the phase III trial suffered from transverse myelitis. Transverse myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord that damages the insulating material covering nerves (called myelin), interrupting the communication within the body. Some symptoms include pain, muscle weakness, paralysis, sensory problems, bladder and bowel dysfunction. Infections and immune system disorders that attack the body's tissues can cause myelitis. The woman who suffered transverse myelitis seems to be recovering and was reported that will be leaving the hospital.
However, this unexplained illness triggered a standard review process, leading to the voluntary pause of vaccination across all trials to allow an independent committee to review the safety data of this event in the UK Phase III trial.
The important thing to remember is that clinical trials take years to complete as they need to be done int the right way in order to produce safe and effective treatments, and that is not the end of it, because the treatment/therapy also has to be approved by each regional regulatory entity and this process is long and exhaustive.
In fact, there is at least a 50% failure rate for every phase of a trial, and only 13.8% of phase I clinical trials get approved.
Constant monitoring of clinical trials is a routine activity and it is a good signal that only one adverse event was picked up fast and the reaction was proper.
One of the reasons is that pharma companies know that vaccines that people can't trust are not worthy as you need people to actually get the vaccine, so having the public trust is essential.
Even if this vaccine doesn't prove to be safe and/or effective, almost 200 other candidates, with diverse modes of action are eager to jump to the leading candidate role that AZD1222 was holding so far.
Multiple pharma companies signed an agreement to honor the clinical trial process and don't "rush the science" to ensure the development of safe and effective vaccines.
To learn more about the AZD1222 vaccines click here
References
https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/09/astrazeneca-covid19-vaccine-trial-hold-patient-report/
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/astrazeneca-s-covid-19-vaccine-hold-sparks-reassessment-race?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkdGbU9EVTRNbUptWVROaiIsInQiOiIrVkc4QlNEdFwvNFl4VFlvamtaXC9WT1JBTzU1ZkU4Y2ZwbWszUEtoZm9SSUh1bnVPQ1wvRWRFZE5mbm5hcVppY21uZ1c0RkpcLzRBenRCNkhzek5taHQ4UktybEdvNkozbkxTUHVxWDFuaUkrU2JZSFk2NjBubXNpTGRLWGlKUUZSMU4ifQ%3D%3D&mrkid=644691
I
would like to share here the positive results from one of the promising
SARS-COVID-2 vaccines labelled AZD1222, and explain more about the clinical
trial process.
Currently, more than 140 vaccines for COVID-19 are
in pre-clinical and clinical development, which means that they are being
tested in non-human subjects (cells, mice, rats, ferrets, rhesus macaques,
etc). 10 vaccines are being tested in humans for safety and dosages (this means
in healthy subjects), 8 vaccines are in phase II, which involves testing the
safety in expanded studies. Only 3 vaccines are starting phase III, meaning
large scale efficacy tests. In this phase, the vaccine is tested in thousands
of people separating the volunteers in 2 groups: one will receive the actual
vaccine and the other - the placebo one to determine if the vaccine protects
against the coronavirus. The last step can be a phase IV trial with an even
bigger and diverse group of volunteers and a review of the results by the local
regulatory entity which will evaluate if the vaccine is approved or not for use
in that region. Notice that each country has its own regulatory organization
and some medicines are approved for use in the USA but not in Europe.
Fortunately, there are a lot of different types of vaccines and you CAN NOT put
them all in the same bag!
These vaccines use a different type of virus that
wouldn’t affect humans in a negative way (called a vector) to deliver
coronavirus genes into cells and trigger an immune response.
The British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and the
University of Oxford are working on a viral vector vaccine using a chimpanzee
adenovirus that will expose the coronavirus’ S protein on its surface in order
to trigger an immune system response in the people that will be vaccinated. The
vaccine is in Phase II/III trial in the UK and Phase III trials in Brazil and
South Africa, and it might be ready by 2021. “AstraZeneca” claimed their total
manufacturing capacity stands at two billion doses. This vaccine uses a
different type of virus that wouldn’t affect humans in a negative way (called a
vector) to deliver coronavirus genes into cells and trigger an immune
response.
They reported last Monday the
"encouraging" results from the trial that included 1,077 participants
from 18 to 55 years old (who had not previously tested positive for the
coronavirus). The participant's gender was fairly well distributed, but they
were mostly white. The study was single-blind, meaning patients did not know
whether they received the coronavirus vaccine or the control (a meningitis
vaccine).
They reported that around 70% of the participants
suffered adverse events such as pain, feeling feverish, chills, muscle ache,
headache, and malaise, which were reduced by the use of paracetamol, and there
were no serious adverse events related to the vaccine. The T-cell immune
responses peaked on day 14 and the antibody response rose by day 28.
Neutralising antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 91% of
participants. After a second vaccine application, called boost, this number
rose to 100%. After a booster dose, all participants had neutralising activity.
Just a friendly reminder: we should be grateful for
the existence of vaccines that have helped prevent the spread of terrible
diseases, such as tuberculosis and polio. Both brought huge suffering in
multiple countries around the world and were controlled thanks to the
implementation of vaccines!
I encourage you to check on the links below
and learn more about the different vaccines and the research behind them. Be
aware of your own cognitive bias, for example, stop citing the inexistent
connection between autism and vaccines, that research has now been thoroughly
debunked, the Lancet journal issued a retraction on Wakefield’s paper, and he
lost his medical licence.
Let me leave you with this great advice from the WHO
about how to respond to vaccine deniers:
“Vaccine-preventable diseases can be very severe,
and still cause millions of deaths per year around the world. Even with the
best available care in the world, vaccine-preventable diseases can cause
permanent disability and even death. Prevention is by far the best
intervention.”
“There are no equally safe and effective
alternatives to vaccinations.”
“The scientific evidence is clear: vaccination
is the most effective health intervention for prevention of many serious
diseases.”
“We as an institution/agency are aiming to
sustain the health of every individual member of the public. We are sorry that
you have lost trust in our effort, but we hope to regain it.”
“The scientific evidence is clear; vaccination
is a safe way to prevent many serious diseases. Any theoretical risk to the
individual and society is far outweighed by the risks to one and all of not
doing so.“
References:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31604-4/fulltext
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dYWZMx-Lfs
How is your long
commute killing you slowly?
Knott and collaborators, from the University of Cambridge,
analyzed the “mental wellbeing” of 5.474 British commuters, aged 40-75, with a
follow-up of 4,65 years. They reported that depression-asymptomatic commuters
who transitioned from inactive to active commuting reported less severe
depression symptoms than those who remained inactive, and a similar
relationship was evident among commuters with pre-existing symptoms. Moreover,
longer commutes were associated with worse depressive symptoms. “Shifting from
exclusive car use towards more active commuting may help prevent and attenuate
depressive symptoms in working adults”. (1)
Another study done in the UK by Flint and collaborators showed
that individuals who transitioned from car commuting to active or public
transportation had a decrease in body mass index (BMI) of -0.30 kg/m2,
contrariwise, individuals who transitioned from active commuting to car had a
BMI increase of 0.32 kg/m2. The take-home message is that increased levels of
physical activity as part of the commute to work could reduce obesity among
middle-aged adults. (2) Already in 2013, Laverty and collaborators reported
that, in the UK, using public transport, walking, or cycling to work was
associated with a lower likelihood of being overweight. Walking or cycling was
associated with a lower likelihood of having diabetes, and walking was
associated with a lower likelihood of having hypertension than private
transport. (3)
In the USA, one out of every six commuters travels more than 45
min each way every weekday, and this long voyage makes people lonelier (4).
Back in 2009, as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index study, 173,581
employed adults were interviewed by the phone, and they reported that one in
three employees with a commute of more than 90 minutes have had a neck or back
condition that has caused recurrent pain; among those with commutes of 10
minutes or less, the figure drops to roughly one in four. Longer commuters are
more likely to say they have been diagnosed with high cholesterol and are more
likely to have a BMI that classifies them as obese. Their results point to a
connection between commuting and emotional well-being. Among employees who take
more than 90 minutes getting from home to work, 40% experienced worry for much
of the previous day, significantly higher than the 28% among those with
negligible commutes of 10 minutes or less. Conversely, workers with extremely
long commutes were less likely to have experienced enjoyment for much of the
previous day or that they felt well rested that day. (5) Behavioral economists
Kahneman and Krueger tracked the emotional states of women in Texas during
their daily activities and they found that respondents' ratio of positive to
negative emotions was particularly low during the time spent commuting.
In Sweden, using longitudinal individual data from 1985 to 2008,
Sandow and collaborators, modeled mortality through propensity score matching
and Kaplan–Meyer estimates of survival among long-distance commuters, more than
50 km (31 miles) one way. The results indicate that women who have experienced
long-distance commuting face a significantly higher mortality risk compared
with women with short commutes to work. This seems to be driven by variations
in income and education: for women with long-distance commuting experience,
substantially lower survival rates are found among those with low education and
low income. Surprisingly, for men mortality risks do not seem to be associated
with long-distance commuting. Sandow findings suggest that men and women are
subject to different mechanisms regarding the nexus between commuting and
mortality. (6) In another study by Dr. Sandow in Sweden they stated the
alarming connection of commuting and divorce rates: if one spouse commutes
longer than 45 minutes that couple is 40% more likely to get divorced (7).
One solution is to work from home, as Tim Ferris, the author of
the four hours work week, showed working from home can improve your
productivity and increase efficiency by, for starters, not wasting time
traveling. I used to work at a company where we were allowed to 20% of remote
work time and this really improved the work life. More companies are adding
this successful work practice because it enhances the employees’ happiness. The
WHO set a minimum of 10.000 steps per day to keep your heart healthy, you can
reach this goal by walking to work some days. If you can’t change the type and
duration of your commute, you can always make it more productive, reading,
playing a game or listening to an audio book or music that will make it “me
time”.
References:
1- Knott CS, Panter J, Foley L, Ogilvie D. Changes in the mode
of travel to work and the severity of depressive symptoms: a longitudinal
analysis of UK Biobank. Prev Med. 2018 Mar 28;112:61-69. doi:
10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.03.018.
2- Flint E, Webb E, Cummins S. Change in commute mode and
body-mass index: prospective, longitudinal evidence from UK Biobank. Lancet
Public Health. 2016 Dec;1(2):e46-e55. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(16)30006-8.
3. Laverty AA, Mindell JS, Webb EA, Millett C. Active travel to
work and cardiovascular risk factors in the United Kingdom. Am J Prev Med.
2013;45:282–288.
4 -https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/16/
5-http://news.gallup.com/poll/142142/wellbeing-lower-among-workers-long-commutes.aspx
6- Sandow, Erika; Westerlund, Olle; Lindgren, Urban
Is
your commute killing you?: On the mortality risks of long-distance commuting
Environment and planning A, Pion 2014, Vol. 46, (6) : 1496-1516
7-Erika Sandow. Volume: 51 issue: 3, page(s): 526-543 2014
Surely you have heard about how important vitamin D is for the correct function of your body is. But do you know why and how much you should get per day or how to improve the intake? And the recently reported connection with Coronavirus infection outcomes?
Vitamin
D is important to keep functional healthy muscles and bones (it has a role in
the regulation of the calcium and phosphate balance), it also supports the
production of antimicrobial peptides in the respiratory tract, reducing
negative outcomes from viral or bacterial infections. Additionally, vitamin D
helps to reduce the inflammatory response to infection with SARS-CoV-2. Vitamin
D interacts with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the receptor
in the human cells that interacts with SARS-CoV-2 and allows its entry into the
cell. While SARS-CoV-2 downregulates the expression of ACE2, vitamin D promotes
the expression of this gene.
For
respiratory tract infections (like the type that coronaviruses cause), it has
been reported vitamin D supplementation protected against acute respiratory
tract infections and that patients with very low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
concentrations (a marker of vitamin D status) gained the most benefit. These
results were published in a meta-analysis done with data from 25 clinical
trials, including 11.321 participants.
A
recent article published in The Lancet analyzed how the relative vitamin D status
can influence COVID-19 outcomes. The study emphasizes the importance of Vitamin
D supplementation for older people as they are at high risk of poor outcomes
from COVID-19 and of vitamin D deficiency. In a cross-sectional
analysis across Europe,
COVID-19 mortality was associated with vitamin D status in different
populations, in addition to very strong circumstantial evidence that highlights
this connection. Some countries seem to be exceptions to this “correspondence”:
Spain, Italy and the Nordic countries.
Vitamin
D deficiency is common worldwide. In the US, more than 42% of the population is
vitamin D deficient, and this rate rises to 82% in black people and 70% in
Hispanics. One of the concerns is that the main source of Vitamin D is the
exposure to the sun, which is reduced in wintertime and even more in some
regions and vitamin D intake can be reduced in people with darker skin pigmentation
and/or medical conditions. Dr. Holick, an eminence in Vitamin D research,
recommends 10 minutes of sun exposure per day without sunscreen follow with
sunscreen application because you do not want to increase your risk of getting
skin cancer (melanoma). I strongly recommend you to watch the lecture “The D-Lightful Vitamin D
for Health” by Michael F.
Holick. The best source of Vitamin D is sunlight with 10.000 to 20.000 IU
(international units) of Vitamin D being produced in 30 minutes with whole-body
exposure to sunlight, and the “excess” is stored in your fat. The good news is that
you will never produce too much, the bad news is that you can take too much
vitamin D if you take an overdose of supplements and this can cause serious
intoxication. Some foods high in vitamin D include salmon, tuna fish, sardines,
mackerel, trout, mushrooms, eggs, cod and fortified milk, cereals and juice.
The Endocrinology practice guidelines recommend different Vitamin D daily
intakes depending on your age group:
0-1
years old 400-1000 IU
1-18
years old 600-1000 IU
Over
18 years old 1500-2000 IU
Importantly,
if you are obese you will need 2 to 3 times more! Now, you had probably run to
your vitamin cabinet and checked the label in the supplement bottle, and it
might say “Vitamin D 5 ug” (micrograms), meaning only 200 IU… side note, the
recommendation in the US is 400-800 IU per day.
The
professional advice is to measure your vitamin D blood levels and consult a
doctor about the best way to get and maintain the optimal level of Vitamin D.
References
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(20)30183-2/fulltext
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zK8LgVx2G8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP81YMvs4yI
Understanding the role of vaccines
is important, hence this question really resonates with me. First of all,
because it can save your life and the life of friends and family. Let me put in
my personal hero words: “Vaccines are one of humanity’s most
incredible accomplishments and they’ve saved millions of lives,” John Oliver
(see the link to his show below).
Secondly, your understanding will allow you to make an educated decision about which type of vaccines you may get, for example, if you are allergic to eggs you should get the flu vaccine that has been produced in mammalian cells (cell culture-based) instead of the one produced in chicken eggs, and you would communicate this to your care provider.
I could continue explaining why having different types of vaccines and knowing more about their modus operandi is a fantastic idea; however here, I would like to explain some thoughts on why some people might think the opposite. Once upon a time (28 February 1998), there was a doctor called Andrew Wakefield, and 12 other medical doctors; they published in a prestigious scientific journal The Lancet, an article entitled “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children”. In the article, they reported a study of 12 children with gastrointestinal disease and regressive developmental disorder. They claimed to have identified an associated gastrointestinal disease and developmental regression in a group of previously normal children, which was generally associated with possible environmental triggers. Their conclusions drew an association between the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and autism. The article was retracted on 2 February 2010, in part, thanks to the fantastic work of the journalist Brian Deer, who discovered research fraud, unethical treatment of children, and Wakefield’s conflict of interest through his involvement with a lawsuit against the manufacturers of MMR vaccine. Other concerns about the study came from the parents of children involved in the study: one claimed that part of the data in the paper was not true, another parent claimed that “the data clearly appeared to be distorted”. Some subjects appeared to be “cherry-picked” to participate in the study, for instance, a boy who lived 5000 miles from the hospital had been flown to London and admitted to Wakefield’s project. Furthermore, there were multiple discrepancies (inconsistent data between the article and the actual medical records). For example, only one of the patients had “regressive autism” although the existence of this condition and the gastrointestinal disease was the bedrock of Wakefield’s allegations. Some conditions that were suffered by the children were also suffered by siblings that were not included in the study. There was another key issue: there were no controls (for example unvaccinated children) as this was just a case report, a big red flag in any medical study!
The study claimed that all 12 children were
previously normal, but five had documented pre-existing developmental
concerns. In the article, some children were reported to have experienced first
behavioural symptoms within days of MMR, but medical records documented these
as starting some months after vaccination. In nine cases, unremarkable
histopathology results were changed, after a medical school’s “research
review”, to “non-specific colitis”. The parents of eight children were
reported as blaming MMR, but 11 families made this allegation at the hospital.
The exclusion of three allegations, all giving time to onset of
problems in months, helped to create the appearance of a 14-day temporal link.
Patients were recruited through anti-MMR campaigners, and the study was
commissioned and funded for planned litigation.
Why would Wakefield commit such terrible fraud and
put people's lives at risk? It is thought to be for MONEY. He was recruited to
support a now failed lawsuit against vaccine manufacturers and was
paid £435,643 for being part of the lawsuit. BTW, after the fraud was uncovered
Wakefield’s medical license has revoked.
On the other hand, multiple studies since then have
shown that there is NO link between mental illnesses and vaccination. In 2002,
a Danish study provided strong evidence against the hypothesis that MMR
vaccination causes autism. They studied 537,303 children that had received the MMR
vaccine. They reported no association between the age at the time of
vaccination, the time since vaccination, nor the date of vaccination and the
development of the autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). More recently in 2019,
given the risks of a disease outbreak that the anti-vaxxer movements generated
in the general population, the research team investigated another 657,461
children born in Denmark, comparing MMR-vaccinated with MMR-unvaccinated
children. This study yielded a fully adjusted autism hazard ratio of 0.93,
meaning no association between MMR vaccination and autism. In addition, no
increased risk for autism after MMR vaccination was consistently observed in
subgroups of children defined according to sibling history of autism, autism
risk factors, other childhood
vaccinations, or during specified periods after vaccination.
Since then there has been a call from researchers
around the world to stop “wasting” time and resources trying to find a link
between vaccines and autism, because these resources could be used to
investigate other diseases and find treatments for them.
Despite claims of many unfounded vaccine damages, vaccines may have a protective effect from unintended diseases. In adults, a study including 4,000 people over age 65 found that people with previous exposure to vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and the flu had a decreased risk for Alzheimer's disease. Another study in nearly 12,000 people with chronic kidney disease found that flu-vaccinated people had a 30-40% lower risk of dementia than the unvaccinated control, and showed that people who got their flu shots more regularly had a greater benefit in lowering their risk for dementia. There has been also no evidence that getting the flu shot worsens cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease. However, individuals with dementia who contract the flu are at 1.5-time increased risk for flu-related mortality. These studies suggest that getting an annual flu shot may be one factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle associated with promoting lifelong brain health.
It is heart-breaking to witness the antivax movement evolve in the last few years and take innocent victims due to misinformation and fraudulent conspiracy theories. Please help to educate everybody about vaccination programs and the important role that each member of the society plays in the wellbeing of the whole community. We are in this together, and only united we can defeat infectious diseases.
For more information about the development of anti COVID-2 vaccines:
https://sciencetechreviews.blogspot.com/2020/06/why-vaccines-are-important-and.html
References:
Vaccines: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VG_s2PCH_c
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M18-2101
https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452
https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5347
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mmr-doctor-given-legal-aid-thousands-00ftl80msbs
I would prefer to be writing about the fantastic ways to improve and boost your immune system backed up by scientific evidence, but I can’t because I feel the duty to explain the importance of “vaccines education”.
First, let me clarify that there are a lot of different types of vaccines and you CAN NOT put them all in the same bag! I will explain 5 of the most promising SARS-COVID-2 vaccines further below.
Second, a bit of a history lesson: we should be grateful for the existence of vaccines that have helped prevent the spread of terrible diseases, such as tuberculosis and polio. Both brought huge suffering in multiple countries around the world and were controlled thanks to the implementation of vaccines!
Third, look at the current situation
when people refuse to vaccinate: we have an outbreak that
puts others in danger. “Why?”, you ask. Because
viruses need a host or reservoir to continue existing and non-vaccinated people
can be that reservoir. Therefore, don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you: to infect
you with a disease!
Currently, more than 125 vaccines for
COVID-19 are in pre-clinical development, which means
that they are being tested in non-human subjects (cells, mice, rats, ferrets,
rhesus macaques, etc). 10 vaccines are being tested in humans for safety and dosages
(this means in healthy subjects), 8
vaccines are in phase II, which involves testing the safety in expanded
studies. Only 3 vaccines are starting phase III, meaning large scale efficacy
tests. In this phase, the vaccine is tested in thousands of people separating
the volunteers in 2 groups: one will receive the actual vaccine and the other -
the placebo one to determine if the vaccine protects against the coronavirus.
The last step can be a phase IV trial with an even bigger and diverse group of
volunteers and a review of the results by the local regulatory entity which will
evaluate if the vaccine is approved or not for use in that region. Notice that
each country has its own regulatory organization and some medicines are
approved for use in the USA but not in Europe.
Types of vaccines:
Attenuated or inactivated virus vaccine
These vaccines use a weakened or inactivated version of the coronavirus to trigger an immune response. The Chinese companies “Sinopharm” and “Sinovac” are starting to test their attenuated and inactivated vaccines for phase III internationally. “CoronaVac”, the Sinovac’ vaccine, has shown promising results in Phase I/II of the trials: 743 volunteers reported no severe adverse effects and produced an immune response. Sinovac is building a facility to manufacture up to 100 million doses annually.
Attenuated bacteria vaccine
This vaccine contains live bacteria that have been weakened or
attenuated. One such vaccine is the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine which
was developed in the early 1900s as a protection against tuberculosis.
After a study reported a relationship between Covid-19 outcomes
and the BCG vaccination status, a Research Institute in Australia started conducting
a Phase III trial, and several other trials are underway to understand if this vaccine
partly protects against the coronavirus.
Viral Vector Vaccines
These vaccines use a different type of virus that wouldn’t affect
humans in a negative way (called a vector) to deliver coronavirus genes into
cells and trigger an immune response.
The British-Swedish company “AstraZeneca” and the University of
Oxford are working on a viral vector vaccine using a chimpanzee adenovirus that will expose the
coronavirus’ S protein on its surface in order to trigger an immune system
response in the
people that will be vaccinated. The vaccine is in Phase II/III trial in the UK
and Phase III trials in Brazil and South Africa, and it might be ready by 2021.
“AstraZeneca” claimed their total manufacturing capacity stands at two billion
doses.
Vaccines with viral genomic material
These vaccines use one or more of the coronavirus’ own genes to
trigger an immune response. USA based company “Moderna” uses the viral
messenger RNA to produce only the viral proteins in the cells that will trigger
an immune response. The company tested this vaccine in 8 volunteers with positive results,
and they are moving to phase III in July. The trial was dosing volunteers in
Phase I with 3 different amounts of mRNA species, and after testing the immunogenicity
(whether or not these doses produce antibodies) they reported that by day 15
after the first injection, the volunteers generated antibodies.
The German company “BioNTech” is collaborating with “Pfizer” and “Fosun
Pharma” to develop their mRNA vaccine. They started the Phase I trial in May, “Pfizer”
hopes to have a few million doses for emergency use in 2021 if all goes well in
the trials.
Another interesting one, the Imperial College London is
collaborating with “Morningside Ventures” to develop a “self-amplifying” RNA
vaccine, which boosts the production of a viral protein that stimulates the immune system, and they began Phase I/II trials in June.
Protein-Based Vaccines
These vaccines use a coronavirus protein or a protein fragment to
trigger an immune response.
One such vaccine is worked on by the USA company “Novavax” which started
a Phase I/II trial on a vaccine made up of particles carrying fragments of
coronavirus proteins.
The list goes on and I encourage you to check on the links below
and learn more about the different vaccines and the research behind them. Be aware
of your own cognitive bias, for example, stop citing the inexistent connection between
autism and vaccines, that research has now been thoroughly debunked, the Lancet
journal issued a retraction on Wakefield’s paper, and he lost his medical licence.
Let me leave you with this great advice from the WHO about how to
respond to vaccine deniers:
“Vaccine-preventable diseases can be very severe, and still cause
millions of deaths per year around the world. Even with the best available care
in the world, vaccine-preventable diseases can cause permanent disability and
even death. Prevention is by far the best intervention.”
“There are no equally safe
and effective alternatives to vaccinations.”
“The scientific evidence is
clear: vaccination is the most effective health intervention for prevention of
many serious diseases.”
“We as an
institution/agency are aiming to sustain the health of every individual member
of the public. We are sorry that you have lost trust in our effort, but we hope
to regain it.”
“The scientific evidence is
clear; vaccination is a safe way to prevent many serious diseases. Any
theoretical risk to the individual and society is far outweighed by the risks
to one and all of not doing so.“
References:
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dYWZMx-Lfs
