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Analysis – The cavalry of the coronavirus vaccine is approaching. Hardly a day goes by without headlines about a major development or a new vaccine that is almost ready to go. But it is a cavalry with qualifications: there are tests to finish, regulators to impress, logistics to organize.
Photo: AFP
There are already a series of vaccines in the works, which ones will New Zealand receive?
Probably some, all going according to plan.
The government wants a “portfolio” of vaccines and says it is making deals with many companies.
That protects our bets that at least some of the candidates New Zealand supports will go the distance and produce a viable vaccine.
If more than one does, it means there are likely more doses available to distribute.
It also means that New Zealanders will likely be vaccinated with a variety of products.
Different vaccines, depending on their properties, could be adapted to different groups, so that, for example, single-injection products could be used for remote populations.
With what companies does the government go?
So far two have been announced: Pfizer and Janssen.
The Pzifer product could be in the country in March and is a two-dose vaccine that would cover 750,000 people.
Janssen’s requires just one injection, but it won’t arrive until closer to September, with two million starting doses and more if needed.
The government says there will be more announcements to come.
Who is first in line for a jab and when are the rest of us?
The government is looking at different scenarios, such as whether there is community transmission here when a vaccine is ready, but has not released details yet.
You are weighing those who are most at risk for disease, most at risk of spreading disease, and most at risk of serious illness or death.
That means border workers, front-line health workers, essential workers, older New Zealanders and those in other vulnerable groups are likely to be first in line.
Will I have to get one?
No. Vaccination will not be mandatory.
Health CEO Ashley Bloomfield says that for it to have a good effect on the population, at least 80 percent should be immunized, but 95 percent would be ideal.
However, those who are not vaccinated may face restrictions; for example, Qantas says that no one will be able to fly him internationally without proof that he has been immunized.
How likely are these vaccines to overcome the latest hurdles?
There’s no guarantee, but experts are optimistic, saying that by the time most vaccines make it to phase three (final, large) trials, they’ve already cleared many other hurdles.
However, the lack of publicly available data makes it difficult to assess exactly how good each one looks and what the dangers could be.
Any vaccine will need Medsafe approval to be used in New Zealand and work is already underway to accelerate that, with Medsafe reviewing data and information from pharmaceutical companies as it becomes available rather than waiting for it to be collected in an application. final. .
Regulators in similar countries are sharing information to avoid duplicating work.
However, if countries like the United States or Great Britain approve a vaccine for emergency use before Christmas, as they are considering, it does not mean that New Zealand will too. Emergency use is different from product approval.
Medsafe says it won’t pass up anything that doesn’t meet its usual standards.
How do vaccines work?
The two New Zealanders in the queue so far are based on different technology.
Pfizer’s uses genetic material from Covid-19, while Janssen’s is based on a type of cold virus that is very similar to Covid but harmless.
Each would cause the body to produce antigens, a kind of antibody generator, in this case against Covid-19.
Those protective antibodies are one of our lines of defense against viruses.
Just because a vaccine protects a person from getting sick does not mean that it will prevent them from spreading the disease, which has great implications for protecting entire populations.
Experts say it may not really be known until there is a big rollout.
How long will the vaccines last?
That is one of the big unanswered questions.
Scientists don’t know if the vaccine will provide long-term immunity, such as injections against measles, or if it will require refills, or even regularly adjusted vaccines, such as for flu strains.
That will be one of the high priorities of the study, since vaccines are distributed in large quantities around the world.
What else is being done to prepare the country?
It takes a lot of paraphernalia for a mass vaccination campaign, so the government is on a shopping spree.
You have purchased nine very cold (-70 C) large freezers to store the Pzifer vaccine and are purchasing 40 smaller freezers so that it can be stored in different locations when it is released.
The Janssen one only needs ordinary refrigeration.
You are also purchasing personal protective equipment (eg, masks, gloves, gowns), needles, syringes, saline vials, gauze swabs, cotton balls, duct tape, dry ice, sharps containers, and bio bags.
And work continues on the logistics to vaccinate an entire population. That could be a big challenge, especially in getting enough workers in an already overblown healthcare workforce to do the job while they continue other care.
