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We will not overcome the epidemic with hospital beds and ventilators, but with the vaccine. But while 60 percent of the Earth’s population is pro-vaccinated, at home that rate is 17 percent and a third of people are unsure about the issue. And a coronavirus vaccine, according to a recent representative study, would not be self-administered by half the population. The success of the vaccination campaign will depend on how much this attitude changes, how clearly and convincingly it is communicated that vaccines save lives, prevent disease, said Ferenc Jakab, virologist and co-author of What You Need to Know About Covid Vaccines. In a presentation on Facebook organized with the participation of the pediatrician Tamás Constantin.
The coronavirus epidemic will not be overcome with hospital beds and ventilators, but with vaccines and immunity in flocks, but effective vaccination and logistics are not enough to be successful, people must also understand why vaccination is important and why experts have all the concerns. they should receive an answer to a tax question. For now, we take into account that, according to a representative study, 50 percent of the population would not request a coronavirus vaccine. While 60 percent of the world’s population is in favor of vaccines, this proportion is 17 percent, and a third of the population is unsure on the subject, and seeing a significant number of vaccine users In addition to vaccinations, pediatrician Tamás Constatin featured the Facebook conversation Thursday night.
In the critical period ahead, correct information is very important, so that vaccine addicts and lay people do not fall for camouflage videos and false statements that are spread on Facebook, which can serve even the greatest nonsense. professionally and credibly – confirmed Ferenc Jakab Professor of Virology, Head of the National Laboratory of Virologyme.
According to James, the concept of vaccine and medicine is also mixed in the public consciousness. The vaccine is used to prevent, prevent infections and diseases, and the final solution to an infectious disease, but drug development must also continue, since there will always be people who cannot be vaccinated for any disease or condition, and must be cured if infected. .
James: You don’t have to be afraid of vaccines
One of the basic messages for those concerned is this, we have been living with vaccines for a long time, we have overcome many diseases with them, we do not have to be afraid of them.
“James says that’s the most important thing you need to know.” There are many people working to produce safe and effective vaccines, and the process has undergone tremendous development.
There are basically two types of development models. The development of conventional vaccines works with inactivated or attenuated viral vaccines, the new generation vaccines are made using molecular biology techniques. These are well-known mechanisms, added the virologist.
In the development of the Covid vaccine, in the development of a killed or inactivated virus, the surface protein is inactivated by a chemical. Therefore, the virus triggers some immunostimulation, but cannot infect or cause disease.
Modern techniques
Vaccines produced by modern molecular biology techniques can be divided into 3 major groups: protein or subunit vaccine, viral vector vaccine, and RNA vaccine.
A protein or subunit vaccine there is only a small portion of protein that can stimulate the immune system and trigger an antibody response. These proteins are produced in the laboratory using molecular biology techniques.
A viral vector vaccine a virus, which is not necessarily a human virus, incorporates into its gene pool the gene pool of the protein encoding the Covid virus, which then appears on the surface of the foreign virus and, when administered to humans, generates an immune response of in the same way, it triggers an antibody response but not incapable of causing disease. These viral vector vaccines work very well and can be used very well, Ferenc Jakab explained.
The third type is a novelty, different genetic or nucleic acid-based RNA vaccines. So far there have been many experiments with these, for example in cancer research where they started to occur and then leak into infectious diseases. These are next-generation vaccines that have not been commercialized until now. Its appearance is also pioneering from a medical historical point of view and could radically change the fight against infectious diseases.
We can choose in months
There are currently about 60 clinical trials of the Covid vaccine underway, and in a few months, according to James, we will get there so that if we go to the pharmacy, we can choose the vaccine we want to use.
87 vaccines are being tested in a preclinical, prehuman animal phase. The first human clinical trial with the vaccine began in March, and now 13 vaccines have entered phase three, the virologist said.
This is what the development process looks like
The long process of vaccine development always begins with laboratory production, followed by the preclinical phase, usually with mice and monkeys. If this proves to be safe enough, free of side effects, and generates an adequate immune response, they will switch to three-phase clinical trials. In the first step, some volunteers are given the vaccine and observed to stimulate the immune system or not, whether there is an immune response or not. If the result is positive, phase two follows with a few hundred volunteers, and the same is examined even then: whether it stimulates the immune system or not. In an extended second phase, efficacy will be monitored in both children and the elderly. In the third phase, tens of thousands of volunteers will be vaccinated and the immune response and side effects will continue to be studied. In case of a positive result, licensing and marketing can be started – Ferenc Jakab detailed the development process.
Now there are 13 vaccines on the target line, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, these are already at the end of the testing phase of phase three.
The new manufacturing technology is justified by the staggeringly large production capacity requirements due to the pandemic, which the classical development model would not have been able to do. A billion-dollar vaccine will be needed, and at least 50 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated for herd immunity, Tamás Constantin said.
What feeds the worries?
In his opinion, the concerns among the laity are generated in part in relation to concepts related to the development of vaccines, the words genetics, heredity or RNA create fear, which he tried to dispel with an example of house construction.
The blueprint of a house under construction, which in this case is human DNA, the hereditary material, is sealed during construction, just as the body takes great care of DNA, keeping it locked up. The vaccine is thought to be a post-alarm facility. This is because with the RNA vaccine, they do nothing more than send a message to the cell. The message asks the cell to produce an excellent protein for the immune response. This is the very alarm system that protects us from future infections. This message does not have access to the blueprint, that is, DNA, hereditary material – emphasizes Tamás Constantin. The flow of information is always unidirectional, always out of the nucleus, the message delivered by the RNA vaccine never interacts with human DNA. This is not gene therapy, genetic modification, but the delivery of a message that triggers an immune response.
The same goes for infection.
Vaccine addicts should also consider that the administration of the vaccine is nothing more than a copy of what happens during a normal infection. We mimic the infection in safe conditions to prepare the body for the attack, Constantin explained. We teach the immune system to defend itself with a small portion of the virus’s hereditary material.
At present, we usually use protein or subunit vaccines, which under laboratory conditions must be prepared mainly in bacteria and fungi and then purified, to become a vaccine. In RNA vaccines, the entire laboratory procedure is performed by our own body, which does not affect our genetic stock at all, but forces our own body to produce this protein, which then triggers the immune response. So the RNA vaccine is not a genetic modification, nor is it a pinch implant, Ferenc Jakab said. An RNA vaccine is very cheap, effective, and triggers an immune response quickly, and all of this is important because a large quantity is needed.
RNA vaccines
The RNA vaccine in the triple screening phase of the Modern American phase is 94.5 percent effective, which is outstanding, as even 60 percent efficacy is considered good. However, a major setback is the need for a refrigeration chain, which will be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius at the time of administration, although they have reached the point where the refrigeration chain can be interrupted for 12 hours, until now. the vaccine can be stored at room temperature.
Based on the same principle, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is also in development at the end of Phase Three, has been tested in people over 65, among whom it has also been shown to be 94 percent effective. .
Viral vector vaccines
The viral vector vaccine is an AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccine that used chimpanzee adenovirus and also entered phase three. Tens of thousands of volunteers between the ages of 18 and 70 have already been vaccinated with it, with an efficacy of 90 percent, which is also outstanding.
The Russian vaccine, which incorporates the coronavirus gene into human adenovirus, is also adenovirus-based and has already reached phase three. In fact, the developments are not that transparent, but nothing can be said about it, neither for nor against, its proven efficacy is 92 percent, which is also outstanding, said Jakab.
Adeno viral vector vaccines include a Chinese vaccine and a vaccine developed by Johnson and Johnson.
If only the two RNA and four viral vector vaccines are considered, the capacity is already huge, but many vaccines are still being developed. Another 13 RNA vaccines and 10 other viral vector vaccines are in development.
Subunit vaccine
In the vaccine subunit, the virus protein is produced by an organism, which is purified to become a vaccine. 20 projects of this type are underway. Its downside is its relative cost when produced in billions. That is the Novavax vaccine.
Inactivated or attenuated virus vaccine
Finally, the virologist mentioned vaccines made with traditional, inactivated or attenuated viruses, and pointed out that, to our knowledge, this may not be the best route for Covid, but there are also Chinese developments, with 70 percent effectiveness. Ten projects are underway, each in phase two. Its advantages are its relative cheapness and ease of transport.
In short, everyone is now trying to produce safe and effective vaccines, whether by traditional or modern methods. According to the virologist, drug manufacturers are not interested in winning much now, but in ending the epidemic. Otherwise, serious damage to the world economy can be expected.
He confirmed that we should not be afraid of vaccines, that they would save lives, prevent disease and trust development professionals, rather than overcome false news, misconceptions. In any case, epidemiological measures must continue to be respected, the use of masks, hand washing and maintaining distance remain fundamental, stressed Ferenc Jakab.
In addition to an effective vaccine, the challenge in the coming months is to communicate in a way that narrows the field for vaccine addicts and makes the vaccination campaign a success, added Tamás Constantin.
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