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The first shipment of coronavirus vaccines will arrive in Lithuania on December 26. Doctors working in health centers will be vaccinated first. Here, it is already clear that the vaccine agrees with 70 percent. Employees of the Kaunas clinics, where the interviewee also works.
According to a material produced by the European Commission (EC), vaccines help prepare the human immune system (the body’s natural defenses) for recognition and protection against a specific disease. When a person is vaccinated, an immune response is triggered. If a person is subsequently infected with the virus, the immune system will recognize it and, as it is ready to attack the virus, it will protect it from COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccines are developed and subsequently approved according to the same legal requirements for quality, safety and pharmaceutical efficacy as other drugs. Its effects are first tested in an animal laboratory, followed by vaccines in human volunteers. However, given the critical epidemiological situation in which public health finds itself, vaccines against COVID-19 are developing much faster than usual around the world.
Photo from Kaunas clinics / What should I know about the COVID-19 vaccine?
The society’s main questions about the COVID-19 vaccine were answered by the doctor of the Kaunas clinics, the clinical immunologist dr. Ieva Bajoriūnienė.
Why is COVID-19 recommended?
Vaccination, according to the immunologist, is necessary to prevent the disease caused by COVID-19 infection and, most importantly, its severe form. Vaccination as a process has been used for more than 200 years. Helps prevent many serious diseases. Certain diseases, like polio, smallpox, have not left the world at all. Vaccines can effectively control 28 diseases today.
Can vaccines cause COVID-19?
According to I.Bajoriūnienė, the composition of vaccines is very diverse. The COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Lithuania cannot cause COVID-19 disease. The vaccine is designed to prime the immune system, to produce specific substances and cells, so that the immune system is ready to fight infection when we are exposed to COVID-19 infection. Or the vaccine will help fight COVID-19 to prevent the development of a serious form of the disease.
Today, we can effectively manage 28 diseases with vaccines.
What is the composition of COVID-19?
The vaccine that we will have, according to the immunologist, has new structures. The structure that enters the body causes the production of protein S. The immune system, recognizing it as an antigen, begins to produce specific antibodies and, most importantly, special T cells that are responsible for killing the virus. The vaccine will be innovative and, as clinical trials and scientific reports show, effective.
If a person has already had COVID-19, do they still need to be vaccinated?
According to the immunologist, if a person has had COVID-19, vaccination is not necessary.
“And if a person was infected, they were sick, but they did not know it and wanted to be vaccinated; no risks or side effects were observed in clinical trials,” explained the doctor.
So that a sick person can be vaccinated.
Photo of the Kaunas clinics / Immunologist dr. Ieva Bajoriūnienė
Can COVID-19 be given to children?
This vaccine is for use in adults and adolescents from 16 years of age.
Is it possible to vaccinate pregnant women?
As with many other medications, studies are not done in pregnant women. No adverse events were seen in animal studies, according to the immunologist.
“Each case must be decided individually, because there is no data on it,” said a representative from the Kaunas clinics.
Is it safe to vaccinate with COVID-19 in a chronic disease?
Clinical studies reveal that those who had a weak immune system and were vaccinated with the new vaccine did not experience dangerous side effects.
“The only doubt is that the vaccine was effective enough for those people and elicited the correct response,” said the immunologist.
This vaccine can be used in asthma, obesity, diabetes, lung diseases.
When is vaccination not recommended?
Vaccination is not recommended if a person has a history of COVID-19 and has an adequate antibody titer.
Can vaccines be needed later, for example, each year, as in the case of flu vaccines?
The immunologist assured that this could be the case. This vaccine is given twice. After the first vaccination, the second is scheduled for three weeks. It is expected that one week after the second vaccination, an adequate immune response and protection will develop.
Perhaps it is better to acquire immunity against COVID-19 naturally?
“It’s difficult to answer. Won’t COVID-19 be serious, won’t it be critical, and won’t it be life-threatening?” The immunologist answered the question.
According to her, protection is easier, safer and simpler with the help of vaccines.
What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
According to the immunologist, the researchers noticed the following common symptoms (occurring in one in ten): pain at the injection site, muscle and joint pain, fever, chills.
Can COVID-19 cause long-term side effects?
According to the representative of the Kaunas clinics, these data are not currently available. There is no indication that the COVID-19 vaccine can have long-term side effects. The investigation is understandably ongoing.
How do I know if the COVID-19 vaccine is safe?
Each vaccine, the drug, according to the immunologist, may have some side effects. You have to prepare for that. You need to know your illnesses, talk to your GP. Vaccination should be administered at the right time: in the absence of signs of acute infectious disease, exacerbations of other diseases.
If the virus mutates, will the developed vaccine be effective?
There is no evidence that the virus changes to make the vaccine ineffective.
“This will be shown in the coming months,” I.Bajoriūnienė assured.
How long does it take for a person to be protected from the coronavirus after being vaccinated?
One week after the second vaccination, the person should have the immune system in place.
VIDEO: Doctors from Kaunas clinics answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, which will arrive in Lithuania this week
Do you need special preparation before vaccination?
It is important that a person feels well, does not have a fever, does not aggravate another illness.
What should you know about COVID-19 for those who have an allergy to one or the other of the other ingredients or are allergic to any of the ingredients?
“If a person is allergic, they should inform their doctor and nurses. In this case, vaccination is not possible. Yes, in particular, there have been serious reactions. There have been more than 200 vaccinations with the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. Three vaccinated people developed severe allergic reactions. It’s rare and you shouldn’t worry about it. The vaccination, however, is carried out in medical institutions where there is adequate care and assistance ”, assured the immunologist.
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