COVID 19 Vaccine Analysis
The COVID 19 vaccinations are being put into effect all over the world. Today, I’ll be talking about how the COVID 19 vaccinations differ from each other, and what effect that has on the results.
There are 7 companies that have developed these vaccines: Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Sputnik, Sinovac, and Novavax. These 7 vaccines are some of the most commonly used vaccines in the world. However, they all use different methods to train our bodies to prevent COVID 19 infection.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are similar, as they were some of the first vaccines to be released to the public. Both require two doses and are carried out in the same way, where a Messenger RNA tells the body to produce the SPIKE proteins and the immune system recognizes this and mounts an immune response. This allows the body to be prepared in case it actually becomes infected. The slight difference in both of these is the temperature they need to be stored at. Moderna’s vaccine needs to be stored at -20 degrees celsius at all times, while Pfizer’s doesn’t have to be stored at such frigid temperatures all the time. Additionally, Pfizer’s vaccine is about 1% more efficient at preventing mild infection and was 3% more effective at preventing hospitalizations. Both vaccines produced a high amount of Neutralizing Antibodies, Helper T Cells, and Cytotoxic T Cells.
The Johnson and Johnson Vaccine, AstraZeneca Vaccine, and the Sputnik Vaccine use a similar way to deliver COVID 19 immunity,. All three use an Adenovirus to provide immunity against COVID 19. An Adenovirus based vaccine has been used for many common vaccines, like the flu vaccine, and infects a cell. The Adenovirus then uses the cell’s machinery to replicate the SPIKE protein, which the body can then use to prevent future infection. The Sputnik Vaccine prevented major infections of COVID 19 while being very effective when it comes to preventing mild infections. However, the AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines were not as effective as any of the previous vaccines, being only 70-80% effective in all categories. However, the AstraZeneca and Janssen Vaccines don’t need to be stored in low temperatures, and the Janssen vaccine requires one dose. The latter two vaccines produced a high amount of Neutralizing Antibodies and Helper T cells, while the Sputnik Vaccine had a high amount of all immune cells, like macrophages.
The NovaVax and Sinovac vaccines use different methods to carry out immunity. The NovaVax vaccine uses a lab-made SPIKE Protein designed to cause no harm while also causing the body to produce antibodies against the SPIKE protein. The Sinovac vaccine uses an inactivated virus to mount an immune response and remember the virus for a future infection. The NovaVax vaccine produces a high amount of Neutralizing Antibodies and Helper T-Cells, while the Sinovac Vaccine just produced a high amount of Antibodies. On the other hand, the Novavax was no less than 95% effective at preventing all forms of infection, while the Sinovac vaccine was only 50% effective at preventing mild infection.
Based on this research, I believe that the Novavax vaccine is the most effective at reducing COVID 19 infection and therefore is the best to be provided to the general public. It doesn’t have to be stored at a very cold temperature and has high efficacy rates in every category. However, for lower-income countries, the Janssen vaccine may be better, as it only requires one dose and can be stored at temperatures up to 20 degrees celsius. However, all of these vaccines need to be celebrated as they were created in part due to international collaboration and were produced and given to the public in less than a year.
Images Credit of PAHO and ORF
