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Representatives for Public Health England and AstraZeneca did not respond to requests for comment.
The vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca introduce a protein into the body called a spike which, while not itself infectious, can teach immune cells to recognize and fight the actual coronavirus.
Vaccines against covid19>
Answers to your questions about vaccines
With the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine starting in the United States, here are the answers to some questions you might be wondering:
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- If I live in the United States, when can I get the vaccine? While the exact order of vaccinees can vary by state, most will likely prioritize medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities. If you want to understand how this decision is made, this article will help you.
- When can I resume a normal life after being vaccinated? Life will only return to normal when society as a whole is sufficiently protected against the coronavirus. Once countries authorize a vaccine, they will only be able to immunize a few percent of their citizens in the first two months. The unvaccinated majority will always remain vulnerable to infection. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines show strong protection against the disease. But it is also possible for people to spread the virus without even knowing they are infected, as they show only mild symptoms, if any. Scientists do not yet know if the vaccines also block the transmission of the coronavirus. So for now, even vaccinated people will have to wear masks, avoid crowds inside, etc. Once enough people are vaccinated, it will become very difficult for the coronavirus to find vulnerable people to infect. Depending on how quickly we, as a society, reach this goal, life may start to move closer to something normal by fall 2021.
- If I have been vaccinated, do I still have to wear a mask? Yes, but not forever. Here’s why. Vaccines against the coronavirus are injected deep into the muscles and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. This appears to be enough protection to prevent the vaccinated person from getting sick. But what’s not clear is whether it’s possible for the virus to bloom in the nose – and either sneeze or breathe out to infect other people – even though antibodies elsewhere in the body have mobilized to prevent the vaccinated person to get sick. Clinical vaccine trials have been designed to find out whether vaccinated people are protected from the disease – not whether they might still spread the coronavirus. Based on studies of the flu vaccine and even of patients infected with Covid-19, researchers have reason to hope that those vaccinated will not spread the virus, but more research is needed. In the meantime, everyone, even those who have been vaccinated, will have to think of themselves as possible silent spreaders and continue to wear a mask. Learn more here.
- Will it hurt? What are the side effects? The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is given by injection into the arm, like other typical vaccines. The injection into your arm won’t be different from any other vaccine, but the rate of short-lived side effects seems higher than a flu shot. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported serious health problems. Side effects, which can resemble symptoms of Covid-19, last for about a day and seem more likely after the second dose. Initial reports of vaccine trials suggest that some people may need to take time off work because they feel unwell after receiving the second dose. In the Pfizer study, about half developed fatigue. Other side effects occurred in at least 25-33% of patients, sometimes more, including headache, chills and muscle pain. While these experiences are not pleasant, they are a good sign that your own immune system is developing a potent response to the vaccine that will provide long-lasting immunity.
- Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use a genetic molecule to stimulate the immune system. This molecule, known as mRNA, is ultimately destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse with a cell, allowing the molecule to slip inside. The cell uses mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which can stimulate the immune system. At any given time, each of our cells can contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules, which they produce to make their own proteins. Once these proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with special enzymes. The mRNA molecules made by our cells can only survive for a few minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is designed to resist the enzymes in the cell for a bit longer, so that the cells can make additional viral proteins and elicit a stronger immune response. But mRNA can only last a few days at most before being destroyed.
But vaccines teach their immunological lessons by different methods and do not contain equivalent ingredients. While Pfizer’s vaccine relies on a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA, packaged in fat bubbles, AstraZeneca injections are designed around a viral envelope that delivers DNA, a cousin of mRNA.
The two vaccines are intended for distribution in two dose schedules, given three or four weeks apart. While the first injections of each vaccine are considered effective enough to prevent Covid-19, it is the second dose – designed as a sort of molecular exam session for the immune system – that concludes the protection process.
While it’s possible that swapping one vaccine for another could still teach the body to recognize the coronavirus, it’s still a scientific gamble. With different ingredients in each vaccine, people may not benefit as much from a second vaccine. Mixing and matching could also make it more difficult to collect clear data on vaccine safety.
Without supporting evidence, the hybrid vaccination approach appears “premature,” said Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University. Still, this is not without precedent: Health authorities like the CDC have previously said that if it is not possible to give doses of a vaccine from the same manufacturer, “suppliers should administer whatever vaccine they have” to supplement. an injection schedule.
In a controversial move, the UK government also decided this week to kick off its vaccine rollout, delivering as many first doses to people as possible – a move that could delay second injections for up to 12 weeks.
The rapid rollout could offer more people partial protection from the virus in the short term. But some experts, including Dr Moore, fear that this is also reckless and could put vulnerable populations at risk.
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