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What Lebanese does not yearn for the conclusion of the last chapter of the deadly epidemic that has occupied humanity for a year until today, so that it can face other economic, security and psychological epidemics that kill us at home and threaten our lives with every dawn?
Yes, we keep dreaming because no one can steal our dreams from us like they did with our safety, health and joy, that is why we dream of a prosperous tomorrow that must be fulfilled one day and hope that we continue on the path.
And because the success of the corona vaccine is the goal of our dreams today, we turn to Dr. Madonna Matar, President of the Lebanese Association for Bacterial Diseases, Head of the Department of Bacterial Diseases and the Department of Coronavirus at the University Hospital Our Lady of Al-Maounat – Jbeil, and member of the National Vaccination Committee of the Ministry of Health, to talk about the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine. And the percentage of its success, the participation of Lebanon and its distribution plan.
The vaccine is essential to fight an epidemic
In an interview with the National News Agency, Matar confirmed that “the invention of any vaccine generally spans several years, because it goes through many scientific stages and experiments to be approved and licensed worldwide.” In the first stage, scientists administer the vaccine to animals and monitor the resulting symptoms, over a period of two years. If the experiment is successful, the studies will target hundreds of people to determine the diversity of protection against viruses, especially for children and people with special cases, and this second stage runs from two to four years. As for the third stage, the vaccine is tested in thousands of people to ensure that it is suitable for the different and diverse peoples of the earth, to obtain a license and official recognition. But in regards to the Covid-19 epidemic, which has spread globally and claimed thousands of deaths and continues to threaten people’s lives, the discovery of the vaccine did not follow the usual legal path, but researchers passed quickly from the first stage to the third, because the situation is tragic and requires a quick solution to save what we can save later. People, because we are in an exceptional situation and an emergency. “
He added: “There are many efforts to discover the right vaccine, and we found about 150 types of vaccines that are currently being studied, and they are still in the testing of the first stage of the research process, and certainly not all of them will be successful. third stage, ten types are being worked on, six of which are in the United States. ” Some of them are in China and Russia. The function of the vaccine is to introduce the human body indirectly to the virus, to stimulate the immunity to move quickly when any virus enters to fight it and fight it. Likewise, the corona vaccination process, the immune system in our body knows the virus, and if we are infected with it, it will be discovered through the vaccine, so it accelerates to fight it before it spreads and sometimes , cause catastrophic damage to health. “
He continued: “In the old traditional method, the vaccine contained a mild or modified virus that does not cause strong disease but does have side effects of course, and this method is approved today in China in the process of its discovery of the Corona vaccine. As for advanced scientific research in our day that is conducting the most important. Companies around the world have taken another path in the invention of the vaccine to eliminate the deadly epidemic of the time.
Matar spoke about his personal experience with Corona patients and how many of them suffer in intensive care wards, advising citizens “not to be reckless and to exercise the utmost caution and care with prevention and social distancing, especially with the next vacations where family gatherings and gatherings abound. There are those who were infected with Corona and recovered months ago “, But they continue to suffer unpleasant side effects such as dyspnea, alteration in the nervous system or confusion in memory and symptoms to this day chronic that we will discover in the future. We face many difficulties with cancer patients who contract the virus, and they already have an immune problem from the chemotherapy they receive, so they do not recover easily and we have had a positive PCR result for several months. “
He said: “It is the first time that we have faced a serious epidemic like Covid-19, we have not encountered a disease of this type since 1918, when the Spanish flu epidemic hit the world and claimed millions of people with it and It did not differentiate between adults and young people, sick and healthy. Today, we have no solution except in the vaccination process. ” Especially since the right drug for the virus has yet to be discovered, so it’s best to rely on scientific studies to avoid dangerous corona symptoms that can sometimes lead to death. Although the vaccine is quickly discovered and some doubt its results and fear its effects, the vaccine remains the only option because the virus can be fatal even among young people, people with strong immunity and healthy people, and this is what I face every day in the framework of my work in the Corona department. We take, for example, in our conversation what happened recently in America, since statistics revealed that only 50% of people encourage the vaccination process, so the percentage was small, so they decided to intensify the campaigns of awareness raising through the media to encourage citizenship, and the efforts paid off by increasing the percentage by 25%.
Types of vaccine
The main objective of the vaccine is to immunize the immunity and prepare it to defend the body, but it is not a cure in itself, nor a panacea. Just as vaccines for other viruses have been discovered over time, here we are today faced with a new discovery that we know can save lives.
Regarding the types of vaccines, Matar revealed that “the most popular vaccines on the market today are Moderna & Pfizer vaccines, which have been shown to be 95% effective, since they are based on a new type of vaccine already that depends on messenger RNA “mRNA Vaccines”, a vaccine that contains substances from the virus that causes corona, so that the cells of the body give instructions on how to produce a harmless version of the unique protein of the virus. Once the body makes a copy of the protein, destroys the main genetic material of the vaccine and thus creates lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus in the future. This process takes about three weeks, and the immunity reacts to 50%, so the second dose is taken again to reach the peak of immunity, that is, 90% against this protein. Studies on this type of vaccine began ten years ago, but it was not developed until it was invented. The Corona vaccine, and pos This is because it can be manufactured in laboratories at a tremendous speed.Here we are today facing new tests, and with time we will discover the effectiveness of this vaccine, but the truth is that it protects a person during six months of the vaccination process and from birth. The term can be extended to twelve months. “
She continued: “China took the initiative to invent the first vaccine to eradicate the Corona virus, and scientists have worked on several different types, some of which are still being studied and tested. Britain moved up the list of countries, to To be the first Western country to take this huge step and begin mass vaccination of the people.The United States, Germany, Spain and others start the vaccination program in their countries so that they can return to normal life by next May. This vaccine, like all vaccines, can have side effects for some, and this is normal, and it is a shame that we hear a lot of false news that we contacted through social media and were concerned. The Corona vaccine has proven its effectiveness in 95% and this is a very good result, and it is rare to find a vaccine that is 100% effective, for example the influenza vaccine that we make annually has an effectiveness of 70%. Corona has not been tested on children Pregnant women and people with weak immunity, so it is not recommended within these age groups and cases suffering from major allergic reactions, as the virus is still unknown and its symptoms differ from person to person. another according to the body’s immune system and method. Transmission of infection “.
Lebanon’s involvement in the vaccine
The World Health Organization has developed a “Kovacs” vaccine program, and about which Matar explained: “A global joint vaccine program against Coronavirus, comprising 19 countries, within the framework of facilitating the monitoring of the developments of projects for the production of vaccines against the emerging corona epidemic, and facilitate access by all member states to it in a fair, safe and affordable manner “. With the commitment to provide the necessary amounts to all countries without discrimination, be they poor or rich, from a global and solidarity point of view to limit the global spread of the epidemic.
And he announced that “a specialized ministerial committee headed by Dr. Abdel-Rahman El-Bizri for the Ministry of Health was formed in order to implement a safe and effective program to maintain the effectiveness of the vaccine during the transfer process. and conservation, reaching citizens. The committee was divided into several committees and the work is continuous and serious, and its meetings are weekly and of a very high level. In the priority of the tasks entrusted to it, choose the type of vaccine to be imported, and this was done in consultation with international experts, and also establishing an action plan in the mechanism for importing, transporting and preserving the vaccine. , and determining the eligible centers, because it must be kept in temperatures below 70 degrees Celsius. It also determines the distribution of the vaccine to target groups, especially those most vulnerable to the epidemic, such as healthcare workers, the elderly, and those with incurable chronic diseases.
He revealed that “the Minister of Public Health of the interim government, Dr. Hamad Hassan”, held early conversations and sought to ensure the vaccine at the best prices, which was a positive factor by seizing the vaccine and avoiding its monopoly in any circumstance. Lebanon will receive the first batch on March 1 next, around two million vaccines, which will be distributed free of charge to the target group. In addition, a direct agreement was signed with the Banque du Liban and “Pfizer” to ensure that there is no third party in the agreement that reduces the figures and profit rates that could increase the price of their import. Funding was obtained from the budget of the Ministry of Health, the general budget reserves, the World Bank loan, and various donors, so that most of the citizens could be vaccinated.
Good news to be heard at the end, that is, the end of the epidemic, and here we are awaiting recent studies on the vaccine and its success rate to announce the real victory over it, so will we celebrate this victory soon, so that human health is crowned with security and peace? Will we be freed in 2021 from the restrictions and weight of masks, so that we can breathe the air of freedom and meet humanity again?
