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Currently, the EU is approving three vaccines against covid-19 and therefore also for use in Norway. The EU has pointed out that vaccines can be approved around the New Year, but first, of course, they must meet all the requirements. Norway has guaranteed access to all three vaccines through European cooperation.
The mRNA-1273 vaccine, developed by Moderna Biotech
* Provides protection against covid-19 in 94.5 percent of cases, based on preliminary test results. No serious side effects have been reported.
* The vaccine is taken in two doses four weeks apart.
* It will cost between 250 and 350 crowns a dose, depending on the manufacturer.
* A so-called mRNA vaccine. It contains mRNA wrapped in tiny fat particles that are absorbed by the body’s cells. Cells read the mRNA code and form so-called spike proteins of the same type as the coronavirus. The body perceives the protein as foreign and produces antibodies that also work against the coronavirus. This type of vaccine has never been used in humans before.
* Tested on 30,000 people in a phase 3 study.
* At refrigerator temperature, the vaccine can be stored for up to 30 days. At temperatures of -20 degrees, it can be stored for half a year, according to the manufacturer.
The BNT162b2 vaccine, developed by BioNTech in collaboration with Pfizer
* Provides protection against covid-19 in 95 percent of cases, based on preliminary test results. No serious side effects have been reported.
* The vaccine is taken in two doses, three weeks apart.
* It will reportedly cost around 180 crowns per dose.
* A so-called mRNA vaccine. See above.
* Must be stored at -70 degrees. It survives only five days in the refrigerator.
* Tested on 43,000 people in a phase 3 study.
The ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca
* Provides protection against covid-19 in 70 percent of cases, based on preliminary test results. No serious side effects have been reported. A less complete analysis, of 3,000 people, indicates 90 percent protection when half a dose is first administered and then a full dose, but this needs to be investigated further.
* Taken in two doses, four weeks apart.
* Much cheaper and easier to store than the other two vaccines. It can be stored in a normal refrigerator. It costs around 35 crowns per dose, according to the company.
* Tested on more than 20,000 people in a phase 3 study.
* A so-called vector vaccine (non-replicating). It does not contain the covid-19 virus, but rather another type of virus in which parts of the genetic material of the covid-19 have been inserted. The virus cannot multiply in the body. The virus enters the cells of the body and causes them to produce the covid-19 virus nail protein. The body perceives the protein as foreign and produces antibodies that also work against the coronavirus.
(Sources: Norwegian Medicines Agency, NTB, BBC, AFP)
