Everyone seems delighted, but what is the good news?
AstraZeneca and Oxford experimented with two different dosage regimens. One regimen demonstrated 90% efficacy when AZD1222 was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose one month later. The second regimen was 62% effective when two full doses were administered one month apart. The average efficacy was 70%.
And now that?
As trials continue and researchers seek an explanation for why the lower dose works better, the results allow AstraZeneca and SII to approach drug regulators for emergency licensing. However, it is not yet known how long immunity will last after the vaccine is administered.
Why is the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine more important than the other candidates?
In summary, the AstraZeneca vaccine is being developed using a 50-year-old platform (an antigen based on chimpanzee adenovirus vectors) that has been used in clinical trials for other vaccines.
On the other hand, vaccine developers Pfizer and Moderna are using the messenger RNA (mRNA) platform, a new technology without a previously approved vaccine. There is more confidence in the safety profile of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Plus, it’s a vaccine for the poor – the storage requirement is 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. India has sufficient capacity to store and distribute the vaccine in this temperature range compared to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which would need -70 degrees Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius freezers respectively.
Does the vaccine have any side effects?
AstraZeneca said that no serious vaccine-related safety events have been confirmed. The most common side effects seen are temporary pain and tenderness at the injection site, mild to moderate headache, fatigue, chills, fever, malaise, and muscle pain. These occurred less often after a second dose and more often after the first dose, and could be treated with acetaminophen and pain relievers if needed.
So when can India start the mass vaccination campaign?
IBS will produce a billion doses, but not all of this capacity will be for Indians. The CEO of the company, Adar Poonawalla, has pledged to reserve half of the doses for use in India. The emergency use authorization, a license for the limited and supervised use of the vaccine, is expected in late December. The vaccine can be released in January under the ‘Covishield’ brand. However, due to the challenges of distribution and limited production, the immunization campaign in India could be extended until 2024, Poonawalla said.
Who would get the vaccine first?
The government has prepared a list of priority groups. Healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by other front-line workers, such as essential service providers. This will be followed by groups with a higher risk of mortality, such as the elderly and those with comorbidities.
Poonawalla expects the rest of the population to be vaccinated only after March or April 2021.
What complications can arise in the administration of the vaccine?
The Center will not have a complete database of people with comorbidities, especially those in rural areas, which makes it difficult to identify recipients. In addition, it is not yet known whether those who had recovered from covid can be vaccinated or not.
What is the price?
The SII has a pact to provide 200 million doses to the COVAX facility, a WHO-backed facility created to ensure equitable global access to covid-19 vaccines, at $ 3 per dose, or around ₹220. The SII plans to provide the vaccine to the Indian government at a similar rate. There is still no clarity on whether the private sector, such as private hospitals, will be allowed. If allowed, the vaccine could be priced at ₹500-600 per dose. Around 300 million Indians can afford the vaccine, said Shobana Kamineni, executive vice president of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. Governments and multilateral organizations, such as COVAX, often negotiate a lower price due to the volumes purchased.
Will the private sector play a role in distribution?
So far, it is unknown. The Government of India has a strong distribution network thanks to the Universal Immunization Programs (UIP), which targets 26 million newborns and 30 million pregnant women every year. UIP uses 27,000 functional cold chain points and around 76,000 cold chain equipment. However, this capacity will be expanded to meet the demand for covid. Private companies are preparing ahead of the curve, while waiting for government guidance.
What about other vaccines?
Three candidate vaccines are expected to be released after January. Bharat Biotech, whose inactivated virus vaccine is currently in phase 3 trials, is expected to be the second vaccine to be released, in March or April. Zydus Cadila is also expected to launch its three-dose plasmid DNA vaccine. The two indigenous vaccines are expected to provide more than 500 million doses of Covid-19 in 2021, provided they successfully complete trials and obtain regulatory approvals.
Russia’s Sputnik V, based on the human adenovirus platform, is expected around April 2021.
Does this mean that covid-19 can be beaten?
Frankly, we don’t know. Although there are many doubts, the first signs are positive. It is a great achievement to get a vaccine out so quickly. Now, a lot will depend on the delivery of the vaccine and what we learn from the first recipients.
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