Coronavirus vaccine could save us from the next wave of the pandemic. Experts announce that despite their introduction to the market, we should still maintain the sanitary regime. What are the coronavirus vaccines? Which coronavirus vaccines will be available in Poland, and which in other countries? Have the vaccines been properly tested? And finally - will coronavirus vaccines be free?

Coronavirus vaccineis not one, we can basically talk about vaccines against the development of COVID-19 - many pharmaceutical companies were working on the preparations at the same time. Coronavirus vaccines were developed not only in Europe, but also in Asia (e.g. Russia and China) and in America, in the USA. However, these European vaccines must be approved by the European Medicines Agency.

The coronavirus vaccine must undergo a series of tests before it is approved for use. Not only will it be tested in the company that produces it, but it will also be checked by the European Medicines Agency. - Any vaccine that will not be approved by the European Agency will not be bought at all. On the other hand, which vaccine the patient will receive, the doctor will decide - commented on the approval of vaccines for use by the Minister of He alth, Adam Niedzielski.

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Let us just remind you that in Poland, the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate and the Main Sanitary Inspectorate are responsible for the control and supervision of vaccines. However, the marketing authorization for vaccines is issued by the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products.

Coronavirus vaccine - types

Let's start by explaining which companies are in the race to approve the coronavirus vaccine, and actually what vaccines are under development. There are a lot of pharmaceutical companies, but all of them have little time - the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is high.

That is why many companies have decided to produce vaccines created using the genetic method. What is going on? The genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 was made available to the public very quickly - within two weeks. This means that scientists don't have to work with the virus at all, they just need the sequencegenetic. Genetic vaccines are the fastest to produce and - beware - they do not need to be tested on animals. Of course, such tests are ongoing, but in parallel with human clinical trials.

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More than 165 research centers are involved in research to help develop a vaccine.

Coronavirus vaccine - mRNA

That is, a genetic vaccine is based on the genetic material of RNA, DNA or vector particles. The product itself is not a vaccine as we understand it. That is, it does not contain virus particles.

mRNA vaccines are information about a vaccine that is yet to be developed in our body. The information about the viral protein is delivered to the cells which become factories producing the vaccine. Our cells are to produce viral antigens and thus protect the immune system against infection.

Coronavirus mRNA vaccine - which companies are working on it?

  • Moderna, NIAID - work on the vaccine is in phase III,
  • BioNTech and Pfizer,
  • Imperial College London,
  • CureVac Inc.,
  • Walvax Biotech (China).

Coronavirus vaccine - vector image

A vector vaccine is a vaccine that uses fragments of other viruses to trigger an immune response. The viral vector is replication unable. The vector vaccine can be safely administered to children, the elderly, as well as people with comorbidities, such as diabetes. The adenovirus vaccine is a well-researched type of vaccine, already administered to thousands of people aged 1 week to 90 years, in vaccines against more than 10 different diseases.

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Vector Coronavirus Vaccine - Which companies are working on it?

This type of vaccine is being developed, among others, by Astra Zeneca and the University of Oxford as well as the Russian Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Chinese Beijing Institute of Biotechnology.

Currently, on November 23, Astra Zeneca announced that the vaccine has 70 percent. efficacy, it will also be easier to store than Pfizer mRNA vaccines. The makers of the vaccine said the average effectiveness was 70 percent: 62 percent. when taking two doses and 90 percent. with one dose. However, during testing, there was a mistake in dosing.

AstraZeneca informed that it had received a lower dose (half of the planned dose)just under 2,800 people for a full dose of 8,900 people. The result of this unexpected experiment is surprising - these patients have a higher resistance to the coronavirus! The company announced further research.

The Astra Zeneca vaccine is based on the chimpanzee adenovirus, ChAdOxl.

Coronavirus vaccine - storage

Moderna mRNA vaccine

The Moderna vaccine should be stored in the freezer for a long time (at -20 degrees Celsius), and for a maximum of 30 days it can be stored in refrigerators equipped with clinics.

As we know, the Moderna vaccine was approved for use in Europe at the beginning of 2022. What do we know about the preparation?See: Moderna vaccine - what do we know about it? Check the composition of the preparation!

mRNA vaccine from Pfizer

The mRNA vaccine from Pfizer has very strict storage and transport conditions: -94 degrees Fahrenheit, which translates to -70 degrees Celsius.

So, Pfizer started developing a delivery system to keep the vaccine safe and working. So a special thermal container was invented (from one thousand to five thousand doses of the vaccine), with a built-in GPS and a temperature sensor. The containers will be shipped throughout the US by air and ground transportation. Vaccines at their target sites can be kept in freezers with very low temperatures for up to 6 months, and in refrigerators for up to five days. Moreover, these containers should not be opened more than twice a day and should be closed within a minute.

mRNA vaccine from CureVac

The vaccine from the German company CureVac remains stable for three months at 5 degrees Celsius, i.e. at a positive temperature! It is ready to use for 24 hours at room temperature.

Vector vaccine from Astra Zeneca

The vaccine can be stored at room temperature. Interestingly, at the moment, this company is able to produce the most vaccines - it will be 3 billion doses in 2022.

Coronavirus vaccine - what will the vaccinations look like?

The Minister of He alth, Adam Niedzielski, announced that vaccines will start flowing into Poland at the beginning of 2022, and that is also when a mass vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 will begin.

- Each of the vaccines will have slightly different indications regarding, for example, the age group, people with comorbidities, because in one case the given diseases may be a contraindication, and in another they do not have to - said the minister and assured that Poland would only buy vaccines accepted by the EuropeanMedicines Agency.

In turn, Deputy Minister of He alth Waldemar Kraska in Radio Plus explained where it would be possible to get vaccinated:

- The ministry is developing a plan on how to logistically carry out vaccination against coronavirus. We have over 500 collection points, the so-called drive thru, based on these points, we can build a network of places where Poles can be vaccinated. Family doctors who have the capacity to vaccinate almost 10,000 points, some also talk about the use of pharmacists. It is logistically to be developed - he said.

Coronavirus vaccine - who will choose the vaccine for us?

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, announcing the success in negotiations with Pfizer and BioNTech, announced that seniors, he alth care and uniforms would be vaccinated first. This is to take place at the end of December 2022.

On the other hand, the rest of the society will have a vaccine from the beginning of 2022. The doctor will decide on the choice of the vaccine.

Coronavirus vaccine - price

From the data available on the Internet, we can check that in the US the dose of the Pfizer vaccine costs $ 20, or about PLN 72. Interestingly, the Ombudsman, Adam Bodnar, said that in his opinion the vaccine should be free for citizens and all costs should be covered by the government. In his opinion, this is the only way to achieve a high vaccination rate.

The RPO also advocated that the vaccine should be given to medics and he alth care workers in the first place.

Coronavirus vaccine from Russia

- Mass vaccination against the coronavirus should start in Russia before the end of the year, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

A spokesman for the Kremlin also noted that the availability of the vaccine will depend on the manufacturers' capabilities. On November 24, the creators of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine claimed that its effectiveness exceeded 95 percent. on the 42nd day of application.

Center for them. Gamalei, who developed the vaccine, under the authority of the Russian Ministry of He alth, assured that no side effects were reported during the ongoing research. About 40,000 people participate in clinical trials of Sputnik V. people, i.e. to such a group, the vaccine will be administered by the end of this year.

Coronavirus vaccine - will it be mandatory?

Many people wonder whether the coronavirus vaccine will make it into compulsory vaccinations. Not everyone has confidence in newly developed vaccines. There are voices that perhaps scientists did not have enough time fortests. Adam Bodnar, the above-mentioned Ombudsman, admitted that he would be moving towards compulsory vaccination.

- We are not planning to introduce compulsory vaccinations. We do not want to force anyone to vaccinate. We show one thing: what we are dealing with is what a vaccine-free world is like. This is what the world looks like, which has to close itself against disease in order to protect the inhabitants of individual countries from infection, from death. If this does not appeal to individual people and social groups, then we do not want to force - said spokesman for the Ministry of He alth, Wojciech Andrusiewicz, in the Onet program.

There is no information yet that would unequivocally indicate whether the coronavirus vaccine will be mandatory or not.

Coronavirus vaccine - you won't leave the country without it

Or at least you might not fly out. Australian Qantas has already announced that their passengers will board the plane after showing a certificate that they are vaccinated. Director Alan Joyce admitted that "it will be a necessity".

The matter is de alt with by the International Air Transport Association. The solution is to create the so-called digital covid passport. There will be information on whether the passenger is he althy and whether he has received the vaccine.

Coronavirus vaccine - side effects

American research shows that about 15 percent. People who tested and received the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna experienced side effects of the preparation. Typically, side effects resulted in flu-like symptoms including headache, muscle and joint pain, rain, nausea and loss of appetite.

These reports were confirmed in an interview with CNN by Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief science advisor to the US operation Warp Speed ​​- a public-private partnership aimed at delivering the COVID-19 vaccine to the US market as soon as possible.

- I would say maybe 10-15 percent. vaccinated people had fairly significant side effects that usually lasted no more than 24, 36 hours - and subsided, he added.

More on the side effects can be found in our material: Coronavirus vaccine - side effects

Vaccinations against coronavirus: ✅ the government is in constant contact with the pharmaceutical companies working on the vaccine, ✅ people at risk will be vaccinated first, ✅ the vaccine will be available to everyone on a voluntary basis. pic.twitter.com/LFiOIAlFlN- Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) November 21, 2022

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