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New data from Pfizer and BioNTech show that the new corona vaccine produced by these two companies remains effective when stored at normal freezing temperatures for two weeks. This can greatly reduce the difficulty of vaccine distribution in the United States and around the world.
New research and analysis also shows that the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine can have a strong effect in preventing the new coronavirus. Two Canadian researchers said that the effectiveness of the first injection was 92.6% and the effectiveness after two injections was 95%. They stated that these results should be used to re-evaluate the limited supply and distribution of vaccines.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization originally obtained by Pfizer and the BioNTech vaccine, the vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, which requires the use of expensive specialty refrigerators. Before the outbreak of the new corona epidemic, this type of equipment was difficult to find and only professional research institutions had it.
The high requirements of the refrigerators have brought many problems, higher costs and risks, especially in rural and remote areas. Pfizer has developed a dry ice-cooled shipping box that can stay cold for a limited period of time, but experts have raised concerns about this equipment, believing that this low-tech method can spoil the vaccine.
But now, new data from the two companies shows that the vaccine remains effective after being stored between minus 15 degrees Celsius and minus 25 degrees Celsius for at least two weeks. Standard medical cold storage can easily reach this temperature range.
The new data has been sent to the FDA. But before changes are made to existing vaccine distribution methods, changes to current storage standards must be approved (as part of the emergency use authorization).
Experts looked forward to Pfizer’s request for approval for more relaxed storage requirements. The initial very low temperature storage requirements for vaccines are the result of shorter development time and rapid speed to work, but the subsequent relaxation of the requirements should follow further research and long-term testing.
Researchers have found the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines to be highly protective. Based on this, researchers Danuta Skovronsky and Gaston de Seres said: “Delay the second vaccination until all members of the priority group for vaccination have received at least one dose; this can minimize the impact of insufficient vaccine supply.” As part of the accelerated vaccination campaign, this method was tested early in the UK to help. The UK has become the third country in the world in terms of “first injection vaccination rate”.
However, before any changes are made to the vaccine distribution plan, US regulators must also review this new data. You know, the second dose of the vaccine can help the body “solidify” what the immune system has “learned” from the first dose. Therefore, “how long can the first immunization last without the second dose”, this uncertainty can become the key of the moment.
Take effect in one dose
As early as early February, there was preliminary evidence that a vaccine developed jointly by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford could reduce the spread of the virus by about two-thirds with just one dose.
“The Telegraph” (Telegraph) Quoting Public Health England (PHE), these data will be confirmed soon, and not only the AstraZeneca vaccine, but also the data for the first dose of Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine. Furthermore, the resistance of the vaccine to virus transmission appears to be applicable in all age groups.
Prior to this, Israel published evidence from two studies this week and found that Pfizer’s new corona vaccine significantly reduced the spread of the virus. A joint analysis by Pfizer and the Israeli Ministry of Health found that the two-dose vaccine injection program reduced infections (including asymptomatic cases) by 89.4% and symptomatic cases by 93.7%. The results are tracked through a new coronavirus infection test and are supported by a new national coronavirus tracking database in Israel. This research has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Additionally, a second study conducted in Israel surveyed more than 7,000 hospital employees and found that the use of Pfizer vaccines reduced infections by 75%.
Since vaccines from companies like Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca are highly effective, injecting one of these vaccines can still weaken the effectiveness of the virus, or at least reduce the possibility of transmission of the virus to others.
We know that these vaccines have significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, however, the ideal situation is to achieve a fairly high level of “knockout immunity” and completely prevent community transmission of COVID-19. Continuous messages indicate that these vaccines can meet this challenge. (Chinese network of fortune)
Compiler: Yang Eryi
New data from Pfizer and BioNTech shows that the COVID-19 vaccine produced by the two companies remains effective when stored at normal freezing temperatures for two weeks, which could greatly facilitate the distribution of the vaccine in the US. all over the world.
New research and analysis also shows that the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is highly effective in preventing COVID-19. Two Canadian researchers claim that the first dose shows an efficacy of 92.6%, compared to 95% efficacy after both doses. The researchers say these results should be used to re-evaluate how the limited supply of vaccines is distributed.
According to the initial FDA emergency use authorization for the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, the vaccine had to be stored at –70 ° C, a temperature that required expensive and specialized freezers to reach it. Before the pandemic, it was difficult to find such equipment, except for the freezers found in research facilities.
That created additional headaches, costs and risks, particularly for rural or remote vaccination facilities. Pfizer developed a dry ice-cooled shipping box that could maintain temperatures for a limited time. But experts have raised concerns about the possible deterioration of the doses stored with this low-tech method.
But new data from companies shows that the vaccine remains effective for at least two weeks when stored at temperatures between –15 ° C and –25 ° C, which is readily available in standard medical storage freezers.
The new data has been submitted to the FDA, but changes to current storage standards must be approved as part of a revised Emergency Use Authorization before changes are made to distribution methods in the field.
Experts expected Pfizer to seek approval for less stringent storage requirements. The initial ultra-cold requirements were the product of a compressed development timeline, with more research and long-term testing before they could be loosened.
Based on their findings on the very high protection of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, researchers Danuta Skowronski and Gaston De Serres say that “the benefits derived from a scarce vaccine supply could be maximized by deferring the second doses until all members of the priority group are offered in at least one dose. ”This approach was tested early in the UK as part of efforts to accelerate vaccinations, helping it achieve the third highest national first dose vaccination rate in the world.
But this new data must also make its way through US regulatory channels before changes are made to vaccine distribution. A looming uncertainty is how long the immunity lasts from the first dose without the second dose, which effectively helps boost what the recipient’s immune system learns from the first dose.
There was already preliminary evidence in early February that the AstraZeneca vaccine, created in conjunction with the University of Oxford, reduced virus transmission rates by about two-thirds with a single dose.
That information will soon be confirmed, the Telegraph reports, citing Public Health England (PHE) sources, not only for the AstraZeneca vaccine but also for a single dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. And that protection against transmission seems consistent across all age groups.
This is in addition to evidence from two Israeli studies published this week, which found that Pfizer’s COVID vaccine significantly reduces transmission of the virus. The joint analysis between Pfizer and the Israel Ministry of Health found that a two-dose regimen of the injection reduced infections by 89.4% overall (including asymptomatic cases) and 93.7% in symptomatic cases. The results were tracked by testing for COVID infections, powered by a national database of COVID tracking in Israel. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.
The second study looked at more than 7,000 hospital employees and found a 75% reduction in infections with Pfizer’s vaccine.
Given the high efficacy rates of the Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, and AstraZeneca vaccines, receiving some type of injection would still weaken the virus and at least reduce the chances of spreading it to other people.
We already know that these vaccines significantly reduce the risk of COVID-related hospitalization and deaths for those who can contract it. But the ideal would be to achieve a significant level of “sterilizing immunity,” the kind that can stop the widespread spread of coronavirus in the community. And the information that comes in suggests that this class of vaccines can meet that challenge.
