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Britain on Tuesday will become the first country in the world to launch the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNtech, initially making the injection available in 50 hospitals.
The country’s National Health Service will prioritize vaccinating people over the age of 80, front-line health care workers and nursing home staff and residents.
This is what people who receive the vaccine should expect.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE GETS THE VACCINE?
The vaccine, developed with a new messenger RNA technology that uses a manufactured fragment of the coronavirus genetic code, is injected into the arm. Immunization is given in two doses, three weeks apart, and has been shown in trials to protect up to 95% of recipients from contracting COVID-19.
Pfizer has said that the side effects in the trial volunteers were mostly mild to moderate and disappeared quickly. The most serious side effects occurred after the second dose: fatigue in 3.8% of volunteers and headache in 2%. Older adults tended to report fewer and milder adverse events.
WHAT KIND OF PROTECTION DOES IT OFFER?
The vaccine prevented Covid-19 disease seven days after the second injection, which is about a month after the first.
Until now, clinical trials have not been designed to determine whether an immunized person can still transmit the coronavirus to another person. Some vaccines, like hepatitis A, provide that protection, known as sterilizing immunity, but others do not. Manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine focused the trials on determining whether the drug prevented people from getting sick.
It will also be several more months before it becomes clear how long the vaccine will protect someone from coronavirus infection.
“Until then, it’s best to avoid the pub and other in-person gatherings with a lot of people,” said Dr. Anita Shet, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
DOES THE VACCINE MEAN RETURNING TO NORMAL LIFE?
Since there is no evidence that immunization prevents transmission of the virus, and no vaccine is 100% effective, scientists call for continued vigilance, including the use of masks, hand washing, and social distancing. “As with all vaccines, it may work very well in certain subsets of patients, but not so well in others … Does that mean you can get on a plane or have 30 people in your home? Probably not,” said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention at UCHealth of Colorado.
He said vaccination campaigns are unlikely to reach “critical mass” until next spring or early summer.
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The country’s National Health Service will prioritize vaccinating people over the age of 80, front-line health care workers and nursing home staff and residents.
This is what people who receive the vaccine should expect.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE GETS THE VACCINE?
The vaccine, developed with a new messenger RNA technology that uses a manufactured fragment of the coronavirus genetic code, is injected into the arm. Immunization is given in two doses, three weeks apart, and has been shown in trials to protect up to 95% of recipients from contracting COVID-19.
Pfizer has said that the side effects in the trial volunteers were mostly mild to moderate and disappeared quickly. The most serious side effects occurred after the second dose: fatigue in 3.8% of volunteers and headache in 2%. Older adults tended to report fewer and milder adverse events.
WHAT KIND OF PROTECTION DOES IT OFFER?
The vaccine prevented Covid-19 disease seven days after the second injection, which is about a month after the first.
Until now, clinical trials have not been designed to determine whether an immunized person can still transmit the coronavirus to another person. Some vaccines, like hepatitis A, provide that protection, known as sterilizing immunity, but others do not. Manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine focused the trials on determining whether the drug prevented people from getting sick.
It will also be several more months before it becomes clear how long the vaccine will protect someone from coronavirus infection.
“Until then, it’s best to avoid the pub and other in-person gatherings with a lot of people,” said Dr. Anita Shet, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
DOES THE VACCINE MEAN RETURNING TO NORMAL LIFE?
Since there is no evidence that immunization prevents transmission of the virus, and no vaccine is 100% effective, scientists call for continued vigilance, including the use of masks, hand washing, and social distancing. “As with all vaccines, it may work very well in certain subsets of patients, but not so well in others … Does that mean you can get on a plane or have 30 people in your home? Probably not,” said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention at UCHealth of Colorado.
He said vaccination campaigns are unlikely to reach “critical mass” until next spring or early summer.
