A citizen is vaccinated against the Corona 19 at the Sejong City Health Center. News 1
Corona 19 vaccination has also begun in Korea. Corona 19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca in the UK and Pfizer in the US are being vaccinated. Both vaccines have been proven effective in clinical trials, but there are many misunderstandings about the vaccine. AstraZeneca vaccine, which was the first inoculation in Korea, was investigated through Professor Park Wan-beom of Seoul National University Hospital.
-How is the AstraZeneca vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine different?
“Both vaccines use the latest technology to temporarily make some of the proteins in the coronavirus. They are not infected with the virus, but they become immune as if the virus had entered the body.
Pfizer’s vaccine uses a genetic material called ribonucleic acid (RNA) to make viral proteins. The AstraZeneca vaccine delivers a genetic material called DNA using adenovirus. In the AstraZeneca vaccine, adenoviruses that carry DNA are not capable of proliferating. It’s relatively safe because it doesn’t get into our body’s DNA. Both vaccines allow the human body to make coronavirus proteins, but the types of genetic material administered are different.”
-AstraZeneca vaccine efficacy (efficacy) is 60-70%.
“Vaccine efficacy refers to how much the vaccine can reduce patients compared to when the vaccine was not administered. The vaccine efficacy of 70% means that if there are 10 patients without the vaccine, it can be reduced to 3 when the vaccine is given. If the vaccine is 90% effective, the vaccine can reduce the number of patients from 10 to 1.”
-The government recommended that elderly people 65 years of age or older should carefully prescribe the AstraZeneca vaccine according to the judgment of the medical staff.
“The clinical trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine did not include a large number of people over 65 years of age. However, it has been confirmed that antibodies similar to those of younger people are produced in elderly people. For this reason, it is expected that the AstraZeneca vaccine can reduce corona19 patients even in the elderly. We are currently waiting for the results of clinical trials for senior citizens, so we recommend that you administer them carefully.”
-How about vaccinations for adolescents under the age of 18 and infants and toddlers?
“Children and adolescents are not eligible for priority vaccination because they have a lower risk of getting Corona 19 than adults and are less likely to worsen seriously. There are no research results that have systematically evaluated the Corona 19 vaccine in children and adolescents. There is still no corona vaccine approved for under 16 years of age worldwide. In the future, it is expected that the vaccination and target will be decided after the prevention effect and safety evidence against Corona 19 in children and adolescents are secured.”
-I’m concerned about the side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“During the clinical trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine, there have been a few rare cases of transverse myelitis, and there are concerns about side effects. However, it was confirmed that it was not related to the vaccine. The AstraZeneca vaccine has similar side effects to other vaccines. Pain can occur for about three days in the area where the injection was given. Fever, chills, tiredness, headaches, and muscle pain can occur for a day or two. Pfizer vaccine has more adverse side effects when given the second shot than the first shot. However, the AstraZeneca vaccine has fewer side effects with the second dose than the first dose.”
-Is it possible to cross vaccination with other vaccines, such as the AstraZeneca vaccine in the first and the Pfizer vaccine in the second?
“Cross vaccination with other vaccines is not recommended because the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine has not been confirmed. Two doses should be given with the same vaccine.”
-The reason why there are higher social concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine than the Pfizer vaccine.
“The Pfizer vaccine has been well systematically tested in a single protocol with over 40,000 large-scale clinical trials. On the other hand, the AstraZeneca vaccine bundled four clinical trials, each slightly different, and released interim results in December of last year. Elderly people over 65 years old were included, and there were two groups with different dose intervals and less doses. As a result, there were concerns that the efficacy of the vaccine was jagged and inconsistent.
However, as research progresses and follow-up results come out, concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine have been resolved to some extent. Researchers recently announced that the longer the interval between doses of the two-shot AstraZeneca vaccines, the better. When administered at 12-week intervals rather than 6-week intervals, the vaccine effect increased by 82%.
There were concerns that the AstraZeneca vaccine could not prevent asymptomatic infection and transmission, but a recent study found that vaccinating the vaccine would reduce the amount of virus released and the duration of excretion, even if infected. This suggests that the AstraZeneca vaccine could not only reduce the incidence of patients, but also block the transmission of infection.”
-The targets for the Pfizer vaccine and AstraZeneca vaccine are different.
“The indications for the Pfizer vaccine and AstraZeneca vaccine are not different. Since the supply of vaccine is insufficient, the advantages, disadvantages and characteristics of the vaccine are considered in the process of selecting the target for vaccination. Although the Pfizer vaccine is effective, it must be stored at an extremely low temperature of -70 degrees Celsius, so the place of storage and administration is limited. While the AstraZeneca vaccine is a little less effective and data on the elderly are insufficient, it can be stored at normal refrigerated temperatures. I know that the vaccination hospitals and targets are selected in consideration of these characteristics and strengths and weaknesses.”
-How much is the immunity effect of the Corona 19 vaccine?
“The Pfizer vaccine is very good at 95%. It is opening a new paradigm in the field of vaccines with a new technology called RNA vaccine. The AstraZeneca vaccine showed 70% vaccine efficacy in the median results last year. However, a recent study reported that increasing the vaccine administration interval to 3 months could increase the efficacy by 82%. Considering that the flu vaccine efficacy is around 50%, both vaccines are excellent vaccines in terms of effectiveness. However, we need to wait for the results of clinical trials for the elderly for the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
-Is it okay for pregnant women or cancer patients to get the vaccine?
“If pregnant women are infected with Corona 19, the risk of complications increases somewhat, but vaccine safety data for pregnant women are still lacking. If you are at high risk of exposure to the virus or have other underlying diseases such as diabetes or obesity, you should consult your doctor about vaccination. Cancer patients are also likely to become severe if infected with Corona 19. However, data on the efficacy and safety of vaccination are insufficient. Since the COVID-19 vaccine is not using a live virus, there is not much concern about side effects. Rather, there is a possibility that a sufficient immune response may not occur when the vaccine is given in a state of reduced immunity.
Therefore, patients undergoing chemotherapy should not be relieved even if they are vaccinated, and should thoroughly observe personal hygiene such as masks. The vaccine is also recommended by carers and family members caring for cancer patients.”
-Can I get Corona 19 even if I get the vaccine?
“Up to one week after the second vaccination of the vaccine, the formation of immunity is incomplete and you can get Corona 19. Even one week after the second vaccination, the vaccine’s efficacy is not 100%, so you can get Corona 19. However, if you become infected after vaccination, the symptoms are lighter and less likely to progress to severe symptoms compared to when you did not receive the vaccine, and the amount of virus discharged is low, reducing the risk of infecting others.”
-Is the AstraZeneca vaccine not effective against a variant coronavirus such as a mutant virus from South Africa?
“When a virus strain occurs, the effectiveness of a particular vaccine may decrease depending on the degree of mutation. The results show that the AstraZeneca vaccine is less effective in preventing mild infections caused by the South African paw virus. Fortunately, according to a recently published study, the efficacy against the British mutant virus was maintained at 74.6%, similar to that of other viruses.”
-Corona 19 vaccine should be given every year like the flu.
“It is difficult to know at this time. It will depend on the duration of immunity obtained from the vaccine, the outbreak and prevalence of the mutant virus, and the degree of mutation. However, the coronavirus does not mutate as fast as the flu virus. Considering the fact that the immunity acquired in light of the SARS virus experience will last about 2-3 years, the likelihood of getting a corona vaccine every year like the flu is low.”
Kwon Dae-ik Medical journalist [email protected]
News directly edited by Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver
