COVID-19 | Moderna vaccine is safe in the elderly, study finds

With COVID-19 vaccine candidates being developed by numerous institutions, the question that comes to mind is the effectiveness and safety of these immunizers, especially in the group that needs them most: the elderly. Last Tuesday (29), the scientific journal The New England Journal of Medicine published a study carried out with 40 patients that indicates that the mRNA-1273 vaccine, produced by the North American pharmaceutical company Moderna, caused only mild or moderate reactions in this risk group. . .

The research came after the company demonstrated safety among participants 18 to 55 years old, and then the researchers began phase 1 studies with older participants divided into two groups: 56 to 70 years and older than 71 years. These patients received two doses, administered 28 days apart.

Among the reactions triggered by the vaccines, the most common were headache, fatigue, myalgia, chills, and pain at the injection site. Most of the symptoms appeared after the second dose. However, it is worth remembering that collections do not stop, nor does monitoring of adverse events. They should continue up to a year after the last dose.

Data from the student in question indicate the need for a second dose of the vaccine to obtain neutralizing antibodies in participants older than 56 years. “Although the sample sizes in our study were limited, older participants (including those who were 71 years or older) had immune responses to the mRNA-1273 vaccine one month after the second dose,” the study says.

To give you an idea, Moderna’s vaccine uses some of the genetic material from the virus to stimulate the body to build a defense against SARS-CoV-2. RNA-1273 is made as messenger RNA (mRNA), capable of encoding the corona S protein of the virus, and introduces it into the body with the help of a nanoparticle of fat to induce the body’s natural protection.

The laboratory in question also announced that each dose of its vaccine candidate will cost between US $ 32 and US $ 37, which is equivalent to approximately R $ 170 to R $ 196, in direct conversion. Moderna received nearly US $ 1 billion (R $ 5.3 billion) from the United States government to accelerate vaccine development, but so far there has been no supply agreement with the country. The idea behind Moderna’s vaccine is to use the genetic material of the new coronavirus (RNA) to induce the body to produce antibodies to fight the microorganism that causes COVID-19.

Fonte: The New England Journal of Medicine