The Latest on the COVID-19 Vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccine has been in development across the world for over a year. In America, multiple major organizations have been recognized by the CDC as leaders in the scientific journey to approve and release a vaccine: AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. These developers’ vaccines have shown promising results in their trials and have now sent them out into the world.

The trials are all arranged similarly to make sure the results are accurate. They go through several phases of pretesting, testing, analyzing, and retesting before the results are released. The individuals in each study are either given a placebo (an injectant that does not prevent COVID-19) or the actual vaccine in various doses. This allows researchers to compare their results to a constant.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has slightly less promising results compared to the other results from Moderna and Pfizer. Overall they claim a 70% efficacy rate, which is significantly lower but still promising compared to past vaccine results. The AstraZeneca vaccine has yet to be approved by the U.S. FDA after several months. At first, Germany struggled to get its citizens vaccinated because of their distrust in the vaccine. Many German citizens waited to get vaccinated until a ‘better’ vaccine came along, but their government convinced them that the AstraZeneca vaccine was effective.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has officially been approved by the FDA for an emergency use authorization as of February 27th. The vaccine comes at a time when COVID-19 variants are springing up all over the world. The J&J vaccine initially reported a 66% efficacy level for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and an 85% efficacy rate for preventing the more severe forms of the disease. Some health experts believe that the lower efficacy rates for the vaccine could be due to the increased number of COVID-19 variants that existed when the vaccine was tested. In addition to preventing the spread of the coronavirus, it also reduced the number of hospitalizations and deaths in the trials to zero. The vaccine would make COVID-19 similar to a very contagious flu, with lesser symptoms and faster recovery. Another huge advantage with this vaccine is that it’s only one shot, meaning it can be given to more people over a shorter time period. It may not be the perfect solution, but the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

While these efficacy rates were reviewed by the FDA, the FDA has not officially ‘approved’ any COVID-19 vaccine. The organization has confirmed that their expectations were met, but the FDA would need much more time to 'approve' the vaccine like they would with any other product. However, the vaccines are still extremely safe and approved for most people above the age of 18.

But while it may be true that the 90% clinical trial efficacy rates may not be representative of all real-world vaccine implementations, these vaccines do seem to be holding up. A study of almost 4,000 healthcare professionals proved at least 91% efficacy amongst real patients not involved in the trials. 81% of those who weren’t fully vaccinated, meaning they only received one dose, did not get COVID-19. These results are majorly impressive when compared to effectiveness of other virus vaccines from the past.

The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are currently available to every U.S. citizen. Currently in Brevard, every citizen over 18 years of age is eligible for the Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J vaccines. Those who are 12 years or older can get the Pfizer vaccine. But as new trials on children are coming out, vaccines may open up for everyone.

There are several issues that can make it more costly, difficult, and time-consuming to develop vaccines for children. Children’s immune systems are still developing and are therefore very different from one another. One formula of a vaccine may not be sufficient for every child. Another issue involves laws around testing on children and what would happen if a child were to get extremely sick from a vaccine. Those issues, along with the extra steps and protocols needed for FDA Emergency Use Authorizations, have delayed the creation of a vaccine for the youth.

Even though several versions of the vaccine may be ready, the country may not go back to normal for several months or even a few years. Masks may still be mandatory for a while even if the entire world has access to vaccines, because certain people, including some who are immunocompromised, may be unable to receive the vaccine for health reasons. Until COVID-19 is not as prevalent, the community needs to help those who cannot take the vaccine by wearing masks. It only takes a few individuals to spread the virus to those populations that are unable to take the vaccine. In addition, new variants are constantly popping up and making vaccines slightly less effective.

While the vaccine process still has a long way to go, it's clear that the stunning speed with which these vaccines were developed is a huge scientific accomplishment. The world scientific community came together through the pandemic to create a vaccine at previously unheard-of speeds. In the coming months, these vaccines will become even more important in the global fight against COVID-19.