COVID VACCINE 101

On Twitter, it's difficult to get a clear, objective view on the COVID vaccine.

I have just had mine today, after I spent some time reading around it.

So here’s a thread to clear things up :

The purpose of any vaccine:

To give you a HEAD START on an infection.

When infected with a pathogen (disease organism), the body has to identify and create an antibody to neutralise it.

This can take several days.

A vaccine, however, is designed to give your immune system a ‘taste’ of a pathogen before you are exposed.

(A practice run).

This is done in the following ways:
Weakened Virus [Easy-mode]
DNA/RNA [Blueprint]
Protein [Deliveroo]
Viral vector [Vehicle]

The lead candidates are type 2: DNA/mRNA

How it works:
Genetic instruction is contained in a lipid nanoparticle carrier [Pfizer] or adenovirus shell [Oxford].

This enters your cell cytoplasm, & transcribed by your protein-making machinery to 3D-print the SPIKE PROTEIN

The spike protein is the active part on the surface of the coronavirus.

When that is recognised by your immune system, it generates antibodies:

so that next time that protein is recognised, it is destroyed on sight.

Adjuvants in the vaccine cause you to mount an immune response to lock in dem antibody gains.

(Hence low grade inflammatory response post vaccination: sore arm, fever etc.)

It’s perfectly reasonable to ask questions and look at the data, and not be branded as ‘antivax’

“ISN’T THERE A RISK?”

Answer:
Everything has a risk.

Sitting alone in your house has a risk.

You pick your problems.

“WHAT ABOUT LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS OF THE VACCINE?”

Answer:
Severe side effects from vaccines tend to be seen within the first few months.

It is unlikely to have delayed complications without early clues, which we aren't seeing.

The real question is:
What is the risk of DISEASE vs VACCINE?

We are seeing COGNITIVE, RENAL, VASCULAR AND PULMONARY sequelae of the disease.

Not for the vaccine.

“BUT THE SURVIVAL RATE IS 98%”

Answer: Survival is an incomplete picture. We need to look at COMPLICATION rate too.

In one study, 6 months after recovering, 63% of people experienced fatigue & muscle weakness. 26% experienced sleep disruption. 23% had anxiety/depression.

“ISN’T NATURAL IMMUNITY BETTER?”

Answer: Vaccines can often provide MORE robust immunity than natural infection, WITHOUT having to suffer the disease.

“WASN’T THIS ROLLED OUT TOO QUICKLY?”

It was produced quickly.

But normally, the delay in drug development comes from the gaps BETWEEN trials and funding bottlenecks.

This year, the world has THROWN money into this.

There’s much to gain for being first to market.

“ISN’T THIS A NEW TECHNOLOGY?”

Yes, but not brand new.

This isn’t the first vaccine to be developed using mRNA.

They've been used before with flu, zika, rabies, CMV, ebola.

WHAT ABOUT ALLERGIC REACTIONS?

The British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI) advised:
‘Individuals with a history of immediate onset-anaphylaxis to multiple classes of drugs or an unexplained anaphylaxis should have the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.'

CONCLUSION:

With the data we have available, the risk-benefit is well in favour of taking the vaccine, unless you’re an anaphylaxis-boy.

I do NOT have all the answers.

- data collection is ongoing,

- unless you’re a healthcare worker or over 70, you probably WON’T BE OFFERED it for a while still.

Until then, I’ll be the guinea pig for you.

You're welcome.