Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication

Why you should go for the COVID vaccines despite the uncertainty

There are antivaxxers. Then there are antiscience people and skeptics propagating misinformation.

Recently I have observed that many videos are being circulated in the social media propagating misinformation about vaccines and these people are taking the uncertainty we are encountering because of the ongoing research process.

Despite everything I strongly recommend that you should take vaccines! Why?

Let me explain.

First let me deal with this issue:

Since some of the COVID vaccines haven’t been studied in people in the elderly populations, we don’t know how well the vaccine will work for them. We know that most vaccines don’t work nearly as well in a frail elderly person as they would in someone who is fit and vigorous, even if they happen to be the same age

This is because as we age our immune system becomes weak. The traditional vaccine may not work so well in older people because of an idea known as immune senescence, which posits that as people age, their immune systems weaken, resulting in poor vaccine response, especially to inactivated strains. That is why senior citizens are reporting less side effects than young people! Live virus vaccines give a better result with old people.

When shots begin to go into arms of [nursing home and long-term care facility] residents, we need to understand that deaths may occur that won’t necessarily have anything to do with the experimental vaccine.’

Deaths might occur because of other age related health conditions.

So some countries try a high-dose vaccine for seniors that could theoretically overcome this problem, no studies have yet been published on how effective it is. The higher dose produces a higher level of antibodies, but we don’t really know what that correlates to.

The elderly should be given regular booster shots to tackle their immune system problems. Most currently used vaccines are less immunogenic and effective in the elderly compared to younger adults. Potential strategies to improve their immunogenicity include higher antigen dose, alternative routes of administration, and the use of adjuvants, which were all implemented for influenza vaccines, and induce moderately higher antibody concentrations. Research on universal vaccines against influenza and S. pneumoniae is ongoing in order to overcome the limitations of the current strain-specific vaccines. Respiratory syncytial virus causes significant morbidity in the elderly. Novel vaccines against this and other pathogens, for instance bacterial nosocomial infections, have tremendous potential impact on health in old age and are intensively studied by many academic and commercial organizations.

This is where herd immunity helps. One thing to remember here is herd immunity protects these vulnerable people if majority of younger generation goes for vaccination (5).

What is herd immunity? Watch these videos to find out.

So if majority of the people take vaccines that will protect the elderly and others who couldn't take vaccines for various health reasons..

And a UK study shows Pfizer and AZ Covid jabs 'highly effective' in the elderly. The Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca ( there is a controversy about this vaccine and this study overrules it) vaccines have been "highly effective" in reducing coronavirus infections and severe illness among elderly people in Britain, with a more than 80 percent reduction in hospitalisation, official data showed. Both vaccines "are highly effective in reducing COVID-19 infections among older people aged 70 years and over," added the study. This adds to growing evidence showing that the vaccines are working to reduce infections and save lives.

No vaccine can “cause” someone to become infected with the disease that the vaccine is designed to prevent. That is a scientific certainty.

Vaccination is safe and side effects from a vaccine are usually minor and temporary, such as a sore arm or mild fever. More serious side effects are possible, but extremely rare.

All vaccines have a time period after the injection where one is completely vulnerable to being infected from elsewhere. That is a scientific fact. It is because of the way that all vaccines work. For example, the Pfizer / BioNtech can take as long as 18 to 21 days before the person’s body creates the necessary antibodies and T-Cells to begin to ward off and fight off the disease known as Covid-19.

Covishield gives you protection about two weeks after you take the second shot!

All vaccines work this way.

“Hey — I just had the vaccine this morning — I can take off my mask, and stop social distancing!” Wrong and wrong

Until that time has passed, the vaccine in some people is a non-issue. If you still get the infection after the vaccination that means, 1. You have been already exposed in the few days before being vaccinated, 2. Got exposed before enough time elapsed for the body to have “learned” how to recognize the spike protein & produce sufficient antibodies against it. 3. The strain is different from that of the one against you have been vaccinated ( different strains occur because of mutations) 4. Is it possible that you are among the 5% to 5.5% of people that will remain unprotected — according the clinical trials and all of the studies. And, keep in mind that some of the popular vaccines in use are only 52% effective after their first shot, and then can expect to be 94.5% effective if they follow up with their second shot, or the “booster” injection.

If the vaccine is an “approved” vaccine, then the vaccine works. Eventually. For most.

In the battle between our immune systems and the virus, in order to win the virus adopts the mutations that works better for it. That is why you need several different shots of vaccine to keep up with the mutated ( or a different strain of) virus.

Keep in mind, that no vaccine in human history (and there are more than a thousand) — offers 100% protection. But you will definitely get a partial protection. Didn't you hear the adage that 'something is better than nothing'? It is wrong to say that vaccine doesn't protect you at all.

Keep in mind, that no vaccine in human history (and there are more than a thousand) — kicks in the day that you receive the first dosage of the vaccine.

That is why you still will have to wear a mask, keep distance from others and take all the precautions despite taking vaccines.

Coronavirus vaccines have already been tested in tens of thousands of volunteers, so scientists have a good sense of how people respond.

Vaccines using mRNA technology are relatively new, but scientists have been developing the approach for decades. Long-term side effects are unlikely. It's the short-term ones that scientists typically watch out for — and those generally seem to be mild and fleeting. Scientists agree that it's much safer to get an authorised or approved vaccine than to risk getting COVID-19, which has known long-term effects.

Studies have shown even if you survive the infection, you will have to face long term affects in all organs of the body. Taking vaccines is better than suffering through out your life. It was also shown that you suffer less, the infection would be mild and manageable if you take the vaccination.

This is what scientists and other experts say about vaccines (2):

All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the world have been shown to be highly effective at preventing COVID-19

All COVID-19 vaccines that are in development are being carefully evaluated in clinical trials and will be authorized or approved only if they make it substantially less likely you’ll get COVID-19.

Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts think that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.

Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

COVID-19 can have serious, life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. And if you get sick, you could spread the disease to friends, family, and others around you.

Getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known as immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection. However, experts don’t know for sure how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness.

Both natural immunity and immunity produced by a vaccine are important parts of COVID-19 disease that experts are trying to learn more about.

Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.

That’s because some of the vaccine trials tracked only how many vaccinated people became sick with Covid-19. That leaves open the possibility that some vaccinated people get infected without developing symptoms, and could then silently transmit the virus — especially if they come in close contact with others or stop wearing masks. If vaccinated people are silent spreaders of the virus, they may keep it circulating in their communities, putting unvaccinated people at risk. That is why you still will have to wear mask. It’s really going to be critical for them to know if they have to keep wearing masks, because they could still be contagious.”

In most respiratory infections, including the new coronavirus, the nose is the main port of entry. The virus rapidly multiplies there, jolting the immune system to produce a type of antibodies that are specific to mucosa, the moist tissue lining the nose, mouth, lungs and stomach. If the same person is exposed to the virus a second time, those antibodies, as well as immune cells that remember the virus, rapidly shut down the virus in the nose before it gets a chance to take hold elsewhere in the body.

The coronavirus vaccines, in contrast, are injected deep into the muscles and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. This appears to be enough protection to keep the vaccinated person from getting ill.

Some of those antibodies will circulate in the blood to the nasal mucosa and stand guard there, but it’s not clear how much of the antibody pool can be mobilized, or how quickly. If the answer is not much, then viruses could bloom in the nose — and be sneezed or breathed out to infect others.

It’s a race: It depends whether the virus can replicate faster, or the immune system can control it faster.

This is why mucosal vaccines, like the nasal spray FluMist or the oral polio vaccine, are better than intramuscular injections at fending off respiratory viruses, according to experts.

The next generation of coronavirus vaccines may elicit immunity in the nose and the rest of the respiratory tract, where it’s most needed. Or people could get an intramuscular injection followed by a mucosal boost that produces protective antibodies in the nose and throat.

The coronavirus vaccines have proved to be powerful shields against severe illness, but that is no guarantee of their efficacy in the nose. The lungs — the site of severe symptoms — are much more accessible to the circulating antibodies than the nose or throat, making them easier to safeguard.

“Preventing severe disease is easiest, preventing mild disease is harder, and preventing all infections is the hardest,” But scientists are optimistic that the vaccines would suppress the virus enough even in the nose and throat to prevent immunized people from spreading it to others.

AstraZeneca, which announced some of its trial results in November, said that volunteers had been testing themselves regularly for the virus, and that those results suggested that the vaccine might prevent some infections. encouraged by recent work showing that people who received an intramuscular flu vaccine had abundant antibodies in the nose. And a study of Covid-19 patients found that antibody levels in saliva and blood were closely matched — suggesting that a strong immune response in the blood would also protect mucosal tissues.

Only people who have virus teeming in their nose and throat would be expected to transmit the virus, and the lack of symptoms in the immunized people who became infected suggests that the vaccine may have kept the virus levels in check.

The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.

It has been shown that 90% to 95.6% protection range against the virus until a week or more after your second Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Different vaccines give you different ranges of protection depending on the vaccine type, your age, immune system, and your health.

Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. As experts learn more about how COVID-19 vaccination may help reduce spread of the disease in communities

Does the COVID-19 vaccine prevent spread of the disease?

Transmission happens when enough viral particles from an infected person get into the body of an uninfected person. In theory, anyone infected with the coronavirus could potentially transmit it. But a vaccine will reduce the chance of this happening.

Has anyone got Covid after vaccine?

Though it's rare, you can still catch COVID-19 after getting vaccinated, but research shows milder symptoms and lower transmission

Why do we still need protective measures after taking the vaccine?

This pic gives you the answer:

We are in uncertain times. As we are still studying the virus and the infection it causes, it is better to have many layers of protection instead of one. I t is impossible for the virus to penetrate all the layers and ravage you. If you miss even a single step there is a chance of the virus getting through the defence and that might cost you either your 'life' or your 'quality life'.

Will COVID-19 vaccines provide long-term protection? (3)

Because COVID vaccines have only been developed in the past months, it’s too early to know the duration of protection of COVID-19 vaccines. Research is ongoing to answer this question. However, it’s encouraging that available data suggest that most people who recover from COVID-19 develop an immune response that provides at least some period of protection against reinfection – although we’re still learning how strong this protection is, and how long it lasts.

How quickly could COVID-19 vaccines stop the pandemic?

The impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the pandemic will depend on several factors. These include the effectiveness of the vaccines; how quickly they are approved, manufactured, and delivered; the possible development of other variants and how many people get vaccinated

Whilst trials have shown several COVID-19 vaccines to have high levels of efficacy, like all other vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines will not be 100% effective. WHO is working to help ensure that approved vaccines are as effective as possible, so they can have the greatest impact on the pandemic.

What types of COVID-19 vaccines are being developed? How would they...

Scientists around the world are developing many potential vaccines for COVID-19. These vaccines are all designed to teach the body’s immune system to safely recognize and block the virus that causes COVID-19.

Several different types of potential vaccines for COVID-19 are in development, including:

Inactivated or weakened virus vaccines, which use a form of the virus that has been inactivated or weakened so it doesn’t cause disease, but still generates an immune response.
Protein-based vaccines, which use harmless fragments of proteins or protein shells that mimic the COVID-19 virus to safely generate an immune response.
Viral vector vaccines, which use a safe virus that cannot cause disease but serves as a platform to produce coronavirus proteins to generate an immune response.
RNA and DNA vaccines, a cutting-edge approach that uses genetically engineered RNA or DNA to generate a protein that itself safely prompts an immune response.

What are the benefits of getting vaccinated?

The COVID-19 vaccines produce protection against the disease, as a result of developing an immune response to the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Developing immunity through vaccination means there is a reduced risk of developing the illness and its consequences. This immunity helps you fight the virus if exposed. Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you, because if you are protected from getting infected and from disease, you are less likely to infect someone else. This is particularly important to protect people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as healthcare providers, older or elderly adults, and people with other medical conditions.

The process to develop COVID vaccines is fast-tracked while maintaining the highest standards: Given the urgent need to stop the pandemic, pauses between steps, often needed to secure funding, have been shortened, or eliminated, and in some cases, steps are being carried out in parallel to accelerate the process, wherever that is safe to do. COVID-19 vaccine developers have issued a joint pledge not to seek government approval for their vaccines until they’ve been proven to be safe and effective.

There are many strict protections in place to help ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Like all vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines are going through a rigorous, multi-stage testing process, including large (phase III) trials that involve tens of thousands of people. These trials, which include some groups at high risk for COVID-19 (certain groups like pregnant and lactating women were not included in vaccine trials), are specifically designed to identify any common side effects or other safety concerns.

Once a clinical trial shows that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, a series of independent reviews of the efficacy and safety evidence is required, including regulatory review and approval in the country where the vaccine is manufactured, before WHO considers a vaccine product for EUL or prequalification. EUL or Prequalification verifies to those countries that would want to procure a particular vaccine that there has been an assurance by WHO that the regulatory review process, usually in the country of manufacture, has held up to the highest standards. Part of this process also involves a review of all the safety evidence by the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety.

An external panel of experts convened by WHO analyzes the results from clinical trials, along with evidence on the disease, age groups affected, risk factors for disease, and other information. The panel recommends whether and how the vaccines should be used. Officials in individual countries decide whether to approve the vaccines for national use and develop policies for how to use the vaccines in their country based on the WHO recommendations.

FINALLY I WNAT TO EMPHASIZE HERE THAT NO ONE HAS EVER DIED BECUASE OF VACCINES. BUT MILLIONS HAVE DIED due to COVID.

In all cases where links were reported regarding this experts from multiple health authorities could not find causal links between the vaccination and deaths (4). Based on the data that we have, we assume that the patients died of their underlying disease — in a coincidental time with the vaccination. If the elderly or people with severe pre-existing conditions are vaccinated, there will be a certain number of accidental deaths that occur shortly after vaccination, which cannot be causally associated with the vaccination.

I am definitely going to get vaccinated. And I ask you too to get vaccinated.

You will regret it if you don't! ( This is a warning from the experts).

Now please stop circulating and forwarding these misleading information and videos.

**About Bharat Biotech's covaxin (1):

COVAXIN^®, India^'s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech is developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high containment facility.

The vaccine is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology. Inactivated vaccines do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause pathological effects. They contain dead virus, incapable of infecting people but still able to instruct the immune system to mount a defensive reaction against an infection.

Why develop Inactivated Vaccine? Conventionally, inactivated vaccines have been around for decades. Numerous vaccines for diseases such as Seasonal Influenza, Polio, Pertussis, Rabies, and Japanese Encephalitis use the same technology to develop inactivated vaccines with a safe track record of >300 million doses of supplies to date. It is the well-established, and time-tested platform in the world of vaccine technology.

COVAXIN^® is included along with immune-potentiators, also known as vaccine adjuvants, which are added to the vaccine to increase and boost its immunogenicity.

It is a 2-dose vaccination regimen given 28 days apart.

It is a vaccine with no sub-zero storage, no reconstitution requirement, and ready to use liquid presentation in multi-dose vials, stable at 2-8^oC.

Pre-clinical studies: Demonstrated strong immunogenicity and protective efficacy in animal challenge studies conducted in hamsters & non-human primates.
The vaccine received DCGI approval for Phase I & II Human Clinical Trials in July, 2020.
A total of 375 subjects have been enrolled in the Phase 1 study and generated excellent safety data without any reactogenicity. Vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody titers were observed with two divergent SARS-CoV-2 strains. Percentage of all the side-effects combined was only 15% in vaccine recipients.
In Phase 2 study, 380 participants of 12-65 years were enrolled. COVAXIN^® led to tolerable safety outcomes and enhanced humoral and cell-mediated immune responses

Q: How will we know if a COVID-19 vaccine is safe?

Krishna:

By conducting clinical trials!

And if much time is not available, trying time tested methods to develop vaccines.

That is what has been done now. Some scientists themselves are taking these vaccines to prove to the world they are safe. Because what is certain is people don’t die because of vaccines ( all the reports still didn’t establish a direct link between blood clots and what not and vaccines).

I don’t mind becoming an experimental material myself because I am a microbiologist and trust the science behind the vaccines. So I took the first dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (covishield in India) as soon as it was made available to me.

And what happened? I got a sore arm, body pains 12 hours after the jab, and had fever. It subsided after two days but I felt a bit weak for two more days. That is all. Youngsters face more side effects than older people. Now I am fine. And roaring to go for the second dose.

Isn’t this better than having covid and facing the consequences your whole life?

Vaccines are safe!

Footnotes:

1. https://www.bharatbiotech.com/covaxin.html

2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits...

3. https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-vaccines?adgroupsurvey={adgroupsurvey}&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4feBBhC9ARIsABp_nbUL32fBVNbYq14P6dX5pygtIyU7Yj6omKrPFHMX44mP_7qWmPbpSJcaAu8cEALw_wcB

Why you should go for the COVID vaccines despite the uncertainty

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