FAQ about the COVID 19 Vaccine Part 1

1.     

Dr. Winsome Christie
Clinical Pharmacist/Integrative 

Why should I take the COVID vaccine?

Vaccination is not a new phenomenon.  However, the Covid-19 vaccine has created 'grey areas' that have caused controversies pertaining to its use and administration worldwide for universal and high-risk targeting immunization .  This is mainly because of the relatively fast developmental time from laboratory studies to clinical trials followed by expedited approval for emergency use.  But how important is vaccination, particularly vaccination against the Covid-19 virus? The Centres of Disease Control  (CDC) describes the Covid-19 vaccine as “a safer way to build protection.”  As with all vaccines, the Covid-19  vaccine allows you to get natural protection through built immunity that is attained through the development of  antibodies. The Covid-19 vaccine, like all other vaccines, was made to protect you and those around you.  When people to get vaccinated, the spread of the diseased is slowed and this helps to build herd immunity (Daley, 2021).  Herd immunity describes when a large portion of the population is immune to a specific disease (WebMD, 2021).  In other words, if enough people have resistance to the disease, then the disease will have limited avenues for transmission.  Vaccines are therefore important in helping us to move out of a pandemic (CDC, 2021). 

Nathine Morgan  
BPharm candidate

 

    2.    What are the side effects of the COVID vaccine?

Side effects are an indication of an active immune system and are not concrete signals that the vaccine is not safe for use.  Common side effects of the coronavirus vaccines reported to and  documented by the Centre of Disease Control(CDC)includesswelling and pain at the injection site, headache, fever, chills, tiredness muscle ache and fatigue. Thus far, it was reported that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, on rare occasions, have triggered anaphylactic reactions in some patients (CDC, 2020).  Since the vaccine is now approved for emergency use and will be administered to the wider population, new and long-term effects are being observed, reported and documented by governing bodies including the CDC on a daily basis. 

 3.    What are the components of the vaccines?

The accompanying patient information leaflet for each vaccine provides a full list of the ingredients used in that specific vaccine formulation.  In general, the common ingredients used in the present  coronavirus vaccines are  the active ingredient (mRNA or DNA), lipids (cholesterol), sucrose and acidity regulators (such as histidine, and sodium and potassium salts) (Oxford University, 2021).  These ingredients are present in very small amounts. The major difference between the vaccines is the active ingredients used in the formulation and its mechanism of building immunity.  For example, Pfizer-BioNTech and  Moderna uses mRNA technology  to trigger the immune system to produce antibodies without using actual parts of the virus. This is much different compared to other vaccines that use an inactivated or a weakened form of the virus to trigger an immune response.  The mRNA vaccines teach the body how to make a harmless piece of the 'spike protein' that is present on the coronavirus cell.  When this protein is expressed on the surface to the cells, the body will recognize it as foreign and will initiate an immune response to build antibodies to protect against the virus if there is a recurrent or future exposure(CDC, 2020).  On the other hand, the Oxford Astra-Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines uses double stranded DNA along with an adenovirus, commonly called viral vector vaccines.  Once the adenovirus enters the cell, it travels to the nucleus  and is incorporated in the DNA strand.  Although it is  unable to replicate (a safety feature of vector viral vaccines), the mRNA is able to read the DNA sequence to make “spike proteins” to be assembled on the surface of the cells.  These proteins are then recognized by the immune system and an immune response is triggered to produce antibodies (Ferran, 2021).  

As it relates to the excipients used, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines do not contain human or animal products nor do they contain common allergens such as latex, milk, lactose, gluten, egg, maize/corn, or peanuts (Oxford University, 2021). 

Authors:

Dr. Winsome B. Christie

Clinical Pharmacist/Integrative

Nathine Morgan  (BPharm candidate)

 

March1, 2021