Vaccine for COVID 19
COVID vaccine helps to provide immunity against COVID 19. Developing immunity through vaccination means the risk of acquiring COVID infection is reduced.
Within less than 12 months after the COVID 19 pandemic began, several research organizations around the world developed vaccines that protect from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
COVID vaccine helps to provide immunity against COVID 19. Developing immunity through vaccination means the risk of acquiring COVID infection is reduced. Moreover, this immunity helps you fight the virus if you are exposed. Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you, because if you are protected from getting infected and from disease, you are less likely to spread the infection to others.
The challenge is making these vaccines available and administering to people. It is important that everyone around the world receives the required protection from coronavirus.
According to CDC, all authorized and recommended vaccines for COVID 19:
- are safe,
- are effective, and
- reduce your risk of severe illness.
WHO recommends prioritizing all healthcare workers at high risk for exposure, and older people. Besides, vaccination is recommended for persons with comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, hypertension, kidney and liver disease and obesity. Individuals with these conditions have been identified to be at risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection.
Almost all the vaccines recommended for emergency use for COVID 19 have an efficacy ranging between 67-100 %. While a COVID-19 vaccine will protect you from serious illness and death, however, we still don’t know the extent to which it keeps you safe from being infected and passing the virus on to others. To help keep yourself and others safe, continue to wear a mask, cover a cough or sneeze in your elbow, wash your hands frequently and use sanitizer. Always follow guidelines provided by your local authorities based on the situation and risk where you live.
Here are some vaccines available for COVID 19
| Vaccine | Type of vaccine | No.of Shots | Efficacy |
|
Pfizer-BioNTech
|
mRNA |
2 shots, 21 days apart |
95 % |
|
AstraZeneca COVID‐19 Vaccine (manufactured by AstraZeneca) and COVISHIELD (manufactured by Serum Institute of India)
|
Non-Replicating Viral Vector |
2 shots, 8-12 weeks apart. |
About 67 % |
| Moderna | mRNA | 2 shots, one month (28 days) apart | 94 % |
| Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19
|
Viral vector | 1 shot | 67 % |
| Sputnik V | Viral vector | 2 shots | 97.6 % |
| Covaxin | Inactivated virus | 2 shots
|
78-100% |
| Novavax
|
Protein based
|
2 shots
|
89.3 % |
References
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Vaccines. Who.int. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-vaccines#:~:text=Whilst%20trials%20have%20shown%20several,impact%20on%20the%20pandemic.
- The Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: what you need to know. Who.int. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know.
- The Moderna COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) vaccine: what you need to know. Who.int. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-moderna-covid-19-mrna-1273-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know?gclid=CjwKCAjw7diEBhB-EiwAskVi1-PFRo7K90Z8AhRSZcX33BtdgmP3441ZYArJ-D6FM5942lJ_cI_qCRoC6I0QAvD_BwE.
- Sputnik V, Covishield, Covaxin: What we know about India’s Covid-19 vaccines. BBC News. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-55748124.
- Olliaro, P., Torreele, E., &Vaillant, M. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectiveness—the elephant (not) in the room. The Lancet Microbe. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-5247(21)00069-0
