A Covid vaccine developed by Pfizer has been approved for use in many countries and the first doses have been administered to patients. The discovery of a vaccine could be the breakthrough needed to definitively defeat Coronavirus.
Vaccines
There are currently multiple vaccines in advanced stages, here are the ones:
- Pfizer vaccine
The best known at the moment: published data have shown that the vaccine is up to 95% effective. It is administered in two doses, three weeks apart. More than 40,000 people in Great Britain have already received this vaccine, without experiencing any negative consequences or problems after taking it.
- AstraZeneca vaccine
Data on this vaccine show a 70% efficacy rate on those showing Covid symptoms, specifically also showing a strong immune response in older people. The AstraZaneca vaccine is also administered in two doses and may be one of the easiest vaccines to distribute, as unlike the Pfizer it does not need to be stored at very low temperatures.
- Moderna Vaccine
Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, it has a 94.5% efficacy rate, according to company data. It is administered in two doses, four weeks apart. This would also appear to be easier to store than Pfizer's, as it appears to remain stable at lower temperatures for up to six months.
What other vaccines are in development?
In addition to the 3 mentioned above, there are other vaccines in development, such as the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, is 92% efficient according to publicly released data. The Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and Sinopharm in China, and the Russian Gamaleya Research Institute are also in final testing with their own version of the vaccine.
It will obviously be critical to figure out which method produces the best results, but at the moment there are many options.
Who will get the vaccine first?
This will depend on the situation in the specific country and the rate of spread of Covid. However, it seems that the older segment of the population will take precedence, as they are more at risk, followed by health care workers such as hospital staff.
What more needs to be done?
Evidence needs to show that vaccines are safe before they can be freely administered. Researchers also need to understand how long the protection achieved with the vaccine can last. It will likely require 60-70% of the world's population to be immune to prevent the virus from continuing to spread easily, if the vaccine works perfectly.