20 facts to know about Sputnik V and vaccination in Cordoba

This Tuesday, the long-awaited vaccination campaign against Covid-19 will begin. The first formula to be inoculated will be Russian Sputnik V. And the first volunteers will be health workers who are on the front line of care for patients with Covid-19.

These are the most important data to know about the vaccine and vaccination in Cordoba.

The vaccine

1) How does the vaccine work? Vaccines do not cure the disease. They only prevent it from happening, which is why healthy people are vaccinated. In the case of Covid-19, all vaccines only prevent the development of symptomatic images. It is not known whether they prevent asymptomatic infections.

2) What is the vaccine made of? Sputnik V is composed of two viral vectors, adenovirus 26 and adenovirus 5, one in each dose. This means that it uses these harmless viruses to transport the antigen to human cells. This antigen causes the immune system to create antibodies. When Sars-Cov2 enters the body, the patient already has specific defenses to stop it.

3) Who developed it? It was developed by the Russian Gamaleya Center, which has over a century of experience in vaccine research. The Russian Fund for Direct Investment finances development on an industrial scale. There are at least three Russian companies producing it, but most of the doses Argentina will receive will come from manufacturers in Brazil, China, South Korea and India. There are also possibilities that it is made in our country.

4) How many doses are there? Like all round one vaccines, Sputnik V requires two doses. In this case, the minimum interval is 21 days between each injection. The maximum is 60 days, said Health Minister Ginés González García. It takes between one dose and one week after the second dose to get adequate protection.

5) Is refrigeration a problem? Sputnik V should be kept at minus 18 degrees. This involves a significant logistical problem, even if it is a freezing temperature, not as low as those required by the Pfizer and Moderna formulas. However, once thawed, there is a 30 minute window to inject it. Russia is developing a freeze-dried (dry) version that can be stored at two degrees.

6) What do we know about its effectiveness? Interim data from the phase 3 clinical trial with 22,714 volunteers showed 91.4% efficacy in preventing the development of symptomatic Covid-19. In severe cases, the effectiveness was one hundred percent.

7) What do we know about its security? The developers of Sputnik V reported that no unexpected adverse events were identified in clinical trials. Some of these vaccines have had mild and short-lived effects, such as pain at the injection site, fever, weakness, fatigue and / or headache. Ibuprofen or semblestamol can be taken if these symptoms appear.

8) Why is there no public data on your results? The Gamaleya Center has released the results of its Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, but has yet to release them along with Phase 3 trials like Pfizer. They announced that they would be available soon. In all cases, the National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) assured that it had received raw and confidential data from the investigation. This procedure is common in the pharmaceutical industry.

9) How was it approved in Argentina? Its emergency use has been authorized by the National Ministry of Health, following a recommendation from Anmat. Technicians from this agency traveled to Russia to learn the details of the investigation and to certify that industrial production meets the necessary standards. It was not directly approved by Anmat as happened with Pfizer, as this body does not control the Nation’s Department of Health, which is the one who made the request.

People to be vaccinated

10) How many people will be vaccinated in Cordoba? The plan is to vaccinate a target population of 1.2 million people between January and February 2021.

11) Who will get vaccinated first? The Nation and the Province have decided to start with health personnel who are on the front line of care for patients with Covid-19. This includes: doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, assistants and cleaning staff, among others. The province already has a registry of this group.

12) What do we know about the over 60s? Clinical trials included people over the age of 60. The Russian Ministry of Health has authorized emergency use for these people. Three cases of volunteers over 60 years of age who developed renal colic, limb abscess and thrombosis were known. These are medical problems unrelated to the vaccine that can arise when thousands of older people are studied. Pfizer and Moderna have also reported serious side effects.

13) When can I get vaccinated? After the first line of combat, the rest of the medical staff will continue. If it is authorized for people over 60, the second group to be vaccinated will be people over 70 and all residents of nursing homes and other long-term establishments. Then they would follow in order: the population aged 60 to 69; personnel from the armed forces, security and prison services; adults aged 18 to 59 belonging to risk groups; and teachers and school staff.

14) Who will not be able to get vaccinated? The vaccine is not yet indicated for people under the age of 18 or pregnant or breastfeeding women. People recovered from Covid19 will be vaccinated. Immunocompromised patients should consult a physician. Those who have had severe allergic reactions to other vaccines or have a history of severe allergic reactions should also be careful.

Vaccination

15) How many doses are available? The country received the first 300,000 doses, including 21,900 for Córdoba. But this lot only includes the first dose. The second (with a different wording) would arrive in mid-January. Argentina has committed 20 million doses of Spunik V. To 22.4 million doses of AstraZeneca and 9 million more through the WHO Covax mechanism.

16) Is it compulsory? It is not mandatory. However, 98 percent of doctors in Cordoba said they would be vaccinated, according to a survey by the Council of Doctors of the Province of Cordoba.

17) Is it free? Yes, it’s free for people who want to get vaccinated. The Russian Fund for Direct Investment has announced that the cost of each dose for international markets will be less than $ 10. This amount will be absorbed by the national state. Pfizer’s formula costs $ 19 per injection (or two), while AstraZeneca’s formula costs $ 2.8 per dose.

18) Where are you going to get vaccinated in Cordoba? In the city of Cordoba, you will be vaccinated at the Cordoba Congress Center (near the Feriar). The vaccination centers of the 24 referral hospitals will be used indoors. 1,300 people work in the operation, but this would expand to 5,000.

19) How is the procedure carried out? The vaccines come in a vial with five doses for immunizations to five people. It must be thawed. The person is registered first. The injection is intramuscularly into the arm with a 1.6-2.5 cm needle. Then the person has to wait 30 minutes for possible side effects. Each vaccinated person becomes part of a national database to ensure the second dose.

20) Where can I register to vaccinate? For the moment, only health workers are vaccinated. In a second step, the province will activate an 0800 and a website to register.