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As vaccines are rolled out, questions remain
PARIS, Dec 27, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – European countries are following the United
States, Britain and a handful of other countries to begin rolling out
coronavirus vaccines.
The rapid development and approval of drugs has been hailed the world
over, questions remain about the availability, effectiveness and side effects
of the jabs.
– How many vaccines? –
It usually takes roughly 10 years to develop and market a new vaccine, but
the process was vastly accelerated for Covid-19.
A vaccine developed by the American company Pfizer and the German company
BioNTech was approved for use in Britain on December 2. Thousands of older
people have since received the first dose.
A total of 16 countries and the European Union have given the green light
to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorisations to
the Pfizer-BioNTech drug and another jab from the American company Moderna.
Russia began vaccinations on December 5 with its domestic drug Sputnik V,
which is still in its third phase of clinical trials. China has already given
the go-ahead for emergency use of some of their vaccines, even though none
have yet been formally approved.
A total of 16 vaccines are in the final stage of development, including
those already on the market, the World Health Organization says.
– What is the EU’s roll-out timetable? ‘ –
Vaccinations can begin from Sunday following approval of the Pfizer-
BioNTech jab by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Each member country will take the lead in defining their priorities with
the rollout.
But three member states — Germany, Hungary and Slovakia — started
vaccinations a day early on Saturday.
– Which vaccine is most effective? –
Since 9 November, four manufacturers have announced that their vaccine is
effective: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, the British alliance AstraZeneca-
University of Oxford and the Russian state institute Gamaleia.
These announcements are based on phase 3 clinical trials that involve tens
of thousands of volunteers.
However, detailed and validated data are available only for the Pfizer-
BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford drugs.
The scientific journal The Lancet confirmed on December 8 that
AstraZeneca’s vaccine was 70 percent effective on average.
The FDA confirmed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at 95 percent efficacy with
Moderna claiming 94.1 percent for its drug. Russia claims a 91.4 percent
efficacy for its Sputnik V vaccine.
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The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is the least expensive at around EUR2.50
per dose). The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have a logistical
handicap, as they can only be stored over the long term at very low
temperatures (-20o Celsius for the former, -70oC for the latter).
– What are the side effects? –
Experts insist that with clinical trials carried out on tens of thousands
of volunteers, any major risk would have already been detected. But rarer
side effects, or those affecting specific patient profiles, cannot be ruled
out.
According to the FDA, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can result in painful
reactions on the arm where the injection is made. Other undesirable side
effects include fatigue, headaches, cramps and, more rarely, fever.
– Further outstanding issues –
The most important is the long-term efficacy.
Penny Ward of King’s College in London said key questions were how long
would protection last and could the virus eventually mutate and no longer be
covered by the vaccine?
Another crucial question is whether the vaccines act differently in
populations most at risk, starting with elderly people who are more likely to
develop a serious form of Covid-19.
It also remains to be seen whether these vaccines block the transmission
of the virus, and also reduce the severity of the disease in those who have
received the jab.
– Is the vaccine less effect against the new strain? –
European Union experts believe that the current vaccines against Covid-19
remain effective against the new strain of the virus detected in Britain and
elsewhere, which is thought to be more infectious.
“At the moment there is no evidence to suggest” that the Pfizer-BioNTech
vaccine “is not effective against the new variant”, the European Medicines
Agency said.
Co-director of the German laboratory BioNTech, Ugur Sahin, echoed that
message, adding that his company would in any case be in a position to
provide a vaccine for a new strain of Covid-19 within six weeks.
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