Delivery of the coronavirus vaccine in the US has begun.

Vaccines are delivered

Shipments will be made in trucks from United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp., delivering vaccines to 145 locations simultaneously. Trucks transport more than 500,000 doses of vaccine under special conditions, as formulations manufactured by Pfizer must be stored at -70 degrees.

For the first time in the United States, professionals who treat coronavirus infections, those who work in nursing homes, can receive the vaccine, although these sites can take between 1 and 2 days to train staff and begin administering vaccines.

The population still has to wait for larger quantities of vaccines to become available, as production and delivery are gradual.

The WSJ article also recalls that even after the fastest vaccine development to date, vaccine delivery is also a huge challenge. We must not forget the extraordinary result that we are already talking about the finished vaccine, Kelly Moore, director of immunization education for the Immunization Action Coalition, told the newspaper.

However, initial stocks are limited, and Pfizer plans to ship 25 million servings to the US this year, of which 2.9 million could arrive in the first week. The vaccine is given in two doses, three weeks apart. Thus, this year, 12.5 million people could be vaccinated in the United States.

An article in the Wall Street Journal also reveals that 15.8 million people in the US were infected with the coronavirus and 295,500 people lost their lives. And the number of infections has only increased in recent weeks.

The expectations about vaccines are enormous, since all the governments of the world link the end of the coronavirus epidemic with vaccination, so that countries have immobilized millions of quotas.

As is known, the FDA approved Pfizer / BioNTech on Friday after the vaccine showed 95% efficacy in experiments with 44,000 people. The vaccine must be stored in extremely cold temperatures, as it uses a new gene-based technology.

What do you need to know about this vaccine?

The Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is one of the next generation mRNA-based vaccines. It’s scientifically called BNT162b2, and in practical terms it contains a stability-modified messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule packaged in a lipid nanoparticle, Virology Pécs recently wrote in a Facebook post.

It is scientifically called BNT162b2 and, in practice, it contains a stability-modified messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule packaged in a lipid nanoparticle. The messenger RNA molecule travels through the lipid nanoparticle to the extracellular part (called the cytoplasm) of our cells. In addition to maintaining the normal cellular function of our body’s protein-making apparatus, protein is also transcribed from this messenger RNA molecule. The protein in this case is the variant of the peak protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that produces the best effect from the point of view of immunity. This protein produced by our cells reaches the cell surface and becomes “available” to our immune system, which responds both with antibodies (called the humoral immune response) and by preparing our immune cells (called the cellular immune response), thus creating protection. Once the messenger RNA has “done its job,” like the messenger RNAs generated during the functioning of our own cells, it also breaks down. Contrary to popular belief, gene implantation is not biologically or technologically possible, nor does the introduced molecule enter the nucleus.

A total of 43,548 people were enrolled in the tripartite clinical phase, 21,720 received vaccines, and 21,728 received placebo. The vaccine was administered intramuscularly and the second dose was administered 21 days after the first dose. The study was conducted in people over 16 years of age. The currently evaluated period is 2 months, which is the period of time, but the immune response is very likely to be much longer.

12 days after the first dose, a degree of protection had already been established. 7 days after the second dose, an efficacy of 95% can be established. Very good news is that efficiencies ranged from 90-100% for age groups, gender, ethnicity, BMI index, and other health conditions. This means that there is a good chance that these factors will not affect its effectiveness.

The government is also waiting for this vaccine

The US-German Pfizer vaccine can be licensed in Hungary as soon as possible. Vaccination against the massive coronavirus is expected in the first quarter of next year, according to an official government publication. It is not yet known exactly how much of the Pfizer vaccine can reach Hungary, the EU has an agreement with Pfizer for 200 million doses and has an option for another 100 million doses.

There are still open questions

The coronavirus vaccine is still surrounded by more uncertainties, with questions that preliminary studies cannot answer. According to the Pécs virologists, the main problems are:

• Safety and efficacy beyond the observation period,
• study in population groups not yet studied (pregnant mothers, children, immunosuppressed, etc.)
• Does the vaccine also protect against mild or asymptomatic diseases? This is important because it would prevent transmission of the infection from vaccinated to unvaccinated people. They think we will know this in the next observation period.
• How effective can be expected in those who miss the second dose?

Cover Image Source: Morry Gash – Pool / Getty Images