Amid growing concerns about the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines in development, several participants in Moderna and Pfizer’s human trial program reported high fever, body aches, headaches, and exhaustion. However, these are common for any vaccine and are not a cause for alarm, experts have said.
Here are the latest Covid-19 vaccine developments from around the world
1. Clinical trials of Astrazeneca and the Oxford University vaccine were resumed in Japan after it was stopped following Astrazeneca’s recognition of severe disease in two cases. Trials are already underway in the UK, Brazil, India and South Africa.
2. The United States has not yet allowed Astrazeneca to resume its trial in the United States.
3. No adverse impact of Astrazeneca vaccine injections has been reported in India.
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4. Some participants may develop a fever right after receiving the vaccine, but that is considered a mild reaction, experts have said.
5. A participant in Moderna’s trial developed “a grade three fever, which is classified as 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit (39 ° C) or higher, after receiving the lowest dose of the vaccine,” Reuters reported. Another developed fatigue so severe that it hampered daily activities, but these side effects last for only one day.
Antisera as a Covid-19 vaccine
The Indian Council for Medical Research in collaboration with a Hyderabad-based biopharmaceutical company has developed “highly purified antisera” by injecting inactivated SARS-CoV2 into horses, which may be a potential treatment for COVID-19. Antisera are blood serum that is high in antibodies to specific antigens and are injected into humans to help reactivate the immune system to fight specific infections.
(With contributions from the agency)
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