COVID19 Vaccine Update
December 8, 2020
The future is here and the future is now! The end of 2020 and soon to be beginning of 2021 is looking up as the FDA has confirmed today the safety data and efficacy of Pfizer/BioNTech's mRNA vaccine. With the UK already beginning mass inoculations as of today, I wanted to provide you all with the most up to date information consolidated in one blog post. My sources include CDC, WHO, FDA, NYTimes, and CNN as well as all those embedded in hyperlinks.
First thing's first, let's break down what the COVID19 vaccine is, keeping in mind the two front-runners are Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Both of these are mRNA vaccines. Not all of the vaccines under development are mRNA vaccines. Additionally, none of the COVID19 vaccines under development in the US use the live virus.
I really like Dr. Mike Natter's simplified drawing of this (be sure to scroll through):
While the mRNA vaccine involves a new approach to immunization, the technology is not new. In fact, using mRNA was discovered over 30 years ago and the design was implemented in the 2003 SARS and 2013 MERS outbreaks. However, at that time, due to lack of funding, the trials were unable to finish completion. Despite this, the research was still helpful when it came time to develop a vaccine to fight COVID19. There were similarities between SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID19) and MERS. When asked if the COVID19 vaccine was rushed, one has to take into account how far science, medicine, and technology has progressed, which has allowed for such expedience and efficiency. "[T]he speed of these developments...is impressive, owing to both the relentless work of the scientists and the unprecedented demand of the circumstances," (Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine).
For additional information, check out public health expert and pediatrician Dr. Risa Hoshino's post below:
With the widespread reach of social media comes the potential for misinformation. A few things that I want to make sure are clear in regards to what the vaccine is not:
The concept of infertility is an important one I want to highlight. There is a statement going around claiming that the spike protein used in the mRNA vaccine, which can be found on the virus causing COVID19 shares a sequence of 5 to 6 amino acids (out of over a thousand amino acids) also found in a placental protein known as syncytin-1. The assertion that this could lead to infertility in women has little to no basis. Additionally, female patients who have previously been infected with COVID19 develop antibodies naturally to this spike protein. Tens of thousands of women have been able to conceive after infection. One more thing to add - no fetal cell cultures are required to manufacture the vaccine.
Dr. Jesse O'Shea has a great tutorial with more information about this as well as the question of infertility in men due to COVID19 infection:
I hope this gave you all a concise summary. The first phase plan is to offer the vaccine voluntarily. As soon as it is approved by the FDA and available, I trust the science, the research, and our healthcare experts. When offered to me, I plan to be first in line to receive it. Medicine is all about weighing risk vs. benefit and to me, the benefit of being protected from COVID19 outweighs any risk, especially given the already established safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Let me know if you have any questions.
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