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How long does immunity last after vaccination? Can pregnant women and those with chronic diseases be vaccinated?
The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) has published on its website a question and answer document on everything related to the Pfizer vaccine called COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2. It contains a ribonucleic acid molecule with instructions for the production of a protein present in the virus responsible for COVID-19. The goal is for everyone to find out for themselves how effective and safe this vaccine is. These are some of the answers.
Testing for COVID-19 vaccines lasted a few months compared to other vaccines, but involved ten times more people than similar vaccine development studies. Therefore, it has become possible to conduct research of gigantic proportions, which is sufficient to demonstrate efficacy and safety. Not a single stage of your inspection has been skipped. The rapid registration was due to the research that has been carried out on this type of vaccine for many years, the enormous human and financial resources invested, and the evaluations of the results by the regulatory agencies immediately, and not only afterwards. of the entire study. This saves a lot of time. Studies have shown that the vaccine is effective for all people over the age of 16, thanks to studies of 44,000 people in 6 countries.
The results show that two doses of the vaccine administered every 21 days can prevent 95 percent of adults over the age of 16 from developing COVID-19 disease, and the results are homogeneous across different ages, genders, and ethnicities. The efficacy of the vaccine was demonstrated one week after the second dose.
The duration of protection has not yet been defined with certainty, but knowledge of other types of coronavirus suggests that it may be 9 to 12 months. This vaccine does not use active viruses, but only a genetic component that introduces information to the vaccinated person on how to produce specific antibodies. Live or active viruses are not included, so the vaccine cannot cause disease.
The ribonucleic acid molecule in the vaccine, like all other similar molecules produced by cells, naturally breaks down within days after a person takes it.
Can vaccinated people transmit the infection to other people? Clinical studies to date have evaluated the efficacy of the vaccine in clinically manifested forms of COVID-19, and more time is needed to obtain meaningful data to demonstrate whether vaccinated people can asymptomatically infect other people. Although vaccination is considered to protect against infection, vaccinated individuals and those in contact with them should continue to follow COVID-19 precautions.
Is it possible for a person vaccinated with the first dose of Pfizer to receive a second dose, but of a different vaccine? It is not yet known how interchangeable the different vaccines are. Therefore, those vaccinated with the first dose of a vaccine should receive the second dose of the same vaccine.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine, which are seen more frequently in 1 in 10 people, are mild or moderate and disappear within a few days of vaccination. These include pain or swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, and fever. In general, systemic adverse reactions occur more after the second dose of the vaccine.
Will the vaccine be effective against new variants of the virus, such as “English”? Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 are subject to frequent mutations that do not significantly alter the configuration and components of the virus. The English version is the result of a series of protein mutations on the surface of the virus and evaluations are underway on the effects they may have on the course of the epidemic. It seems impossible that it has a negative effect on vaccination.
Vaccination does not conflict with previous COVID-19 infection, but instead strengthens the protective memory, so no testing is required before vaccination. However, those who have tested positive for the virus in the past do not need to be vaccinated in the first phase of the campaign. This can happen when the data collection on the duration of immunity is completed.
People with severe allergies should consult their doctors before getting vaccinated. Those who show a severe allergic reaction after the first dose should not receive a second dose. The vaccine does not exclude pregnant women from the vaccine population, because if the pregnancy is combined with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, it can put the woman at even greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
Currently, this vaccine is not recommended for children under 16 years of age.
There are no data yet on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in people with autoimmune diseases, although they have been included in studies. People with autoimmune diseases that do not have contraindications can receive the vaccine. People with chronic diseases, diabetes, tumors, cardiovascular diseases can be vaccinated; they are at the highest risk in case of virus infection. People receiving anticoagulant treatment should consult their doctor before deciding to get vaccinated.
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