Corona vaccines were prepared at an extraordinary speed ... How do we ensure that they are safe?

How can we ensure that the vaccines for the emerging corona virus "Covid-19" are safe?

What is the difference between vaccines in general?

How effective are Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford in the elderly?

What do we know about The Johnson & Johnson?

We answer these and other questions in this detailed report, in which we return to the latest updates from the World Health Organization, and other sources.

Are the emerging corona virus vaccines safe?

According to the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, answering the question, "The vaccines were prepared at an extraordinary speed. How can we ensure that vaccines, given their preparation in such a short time frame, are not only effective but also safe?"

It was really exceptional.

"We are benefiting from the experiences we have gained with other diseases, such as Ebola. This has allowed these vaccines to be developed and fully evaluated in clinical trials much faster than before," the regional office added in a post on its website.

He said that experiments were taking place amid a pandemic, and many people were infected, which provided many opportunities to know whether the vaccine was effective or not, and provided an opportunity to conduct this evaluation faster.

Another important reason is the investments made by governments and the private sector in developing and producing these vaccines.

What are the differences between these vaccines in general?

The Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean says that Covid-19 vaccines differ in how they are made.

All of them protect against Covid-19, but they work differently.

Some use a complete, dead virus, some use only parts of the virus, and some use other harmless viruses to act as a vector, such as a Trojan horse trick, and some use parts of genetic material that give instructions that make parts of the virus stimulate the immune system.

Vaccines also differ in the way they are stored.

Some of them must be stored at extremely low temperatures.

It is not possible to provide the required cold temperatures everywhere, and it has consequences that determine where we can use vaccines and where we cannot use them.

And given two doses of some vaccines and one dose of others.

How do vaccines work?

Vaccines help the body build immunity to germs to protect people from infectious diseases.

It works by injecting something like a germ, which stimulates the immune system to respond by producing antibodies.

This is what protects a person from future infection if infected with the true germ.

This is how the vaccines for most diseases work, and it is how the Covid-19 vaccines work.

Do I need to be vaccinated if I have previously had COVID-19?

According to the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, “We should first ask: Are you sure you have contracted Covid-19? It is difficult to say for sure unless you have confirmed the disease by testing. As for those who have already had Covid-19 for sure. The WHO recommends that people who already have Covid-19 can receive the vaccine without any side effects or problem. But given the shortage of vaccine supplies, it makes sense to give priority to those who have not previously had Covid-19. Being infected with Covid-19 gives immunity for a few months. "

Do approved vaccines protect us from new mutations of the Covid-19 virus?

According to the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean on its website, the new mutations represent a challenge, and the mutation of the virus was expected due to the speed of its spread in the world.

But "we can work to find solutions to it. The first news that we received about the effectiveness of the vaccine against most mutations is mostly reassuring, but the situation may develop, and our eyes are always open to monitor developments."

"We will do 3 things to confront mutations. First: We will conduct studies to understand more about the effectiveness of vaccines against mutations. These studies will tell us whether more measures are needed or not. Second: We can work to give people more vaccine doses, such as booster doses," he added. Third: We can also work to amend some preparations of these vaccines, as we do with influenza every year. This is possible. "

Press clarification pic.twitter.com/JhUoVokf8l

- Ministry of Health - Kuwait (@KUWAIT_MOH) February 26, 2021

Are Pfizer and AstraZeneca effective in the elderly?

Official data showed yesterday, Monday, that the "Pfizer and AstraZeneca" vaccines have proven "highly effective" in reducing infection with the Corona virus and symptoms of severe disease in the elderly in Britain, with the number of cases requiring hospitalization by more than 80%, according to a report by the French Press Agency. .

And among people over 80 years old, a single dose of either vaccine showed efficacy in avoiding hospitalization, about 3-4 weeks after receiving the injection, according to a realistic study of Public Health England, which has been collecting data since January.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the new study and considered it carrying "very good news."

"The detailed data show that protection from Covid-19, 35 days after the first dose is given, is slightly better for the Oxford vaccine compared to the Pfizer vaccine," he said.

"The two vaccines are highly effective in reducing Covid-19 infection in people aged 70 years and over," he added.

The Pfizer vaccine provides protection from infection by between 57% and 61% after the first dose is given, and AstraZeneca provides protection ranging between 60% and 73%, according to the study.

Mary Ramsay, head of the vaccination program at Public Health England, said this "adds to the mounting evidence showing that vaccines reduce infections and save lives."

And she continued, "It is important to remember that protection is not complete, and we do not yet know the ability of these vaccines to reduce the risk of transmitting a person with Covid-19 infection to others."

Yesterday, Britain announced 104 deaths from the virus and 5,455 new cases, about half the number recorded last Monday.

The number of admissions into intensive care units for people over 80 has fallen to less than 10 in the past two weeks, according to Hancock.

The latest figures confirm the importance of everyone receiving the vaccine, according to Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Medical Officer for England, who added, "It shows us, and gives us first indications, that if we are patient and give the vaccine program enough time to give its full effect, it will hopefully move us to a completely different world in months. The next few. "

What do you know about Johnson & Johnson?

The American Johnson & Johnson vaccine against Covid-19 is expected to become the fourth approved vaccine in Europe, after it is officially approved by the European Union this March.

The French Minister of Industry Agnes-Pannier-Ronacher said in an interview on "France 3" that the European Union will give the green light to the "Johnson & Johnson" vaccine in early March, explaining that the European Medicines Agency is currently evaluating the information provided by the American company before marketing the vaccine. According to a report in the French newspaper "Le Figaro".

The French minister added that "the first doses are scheduled to arrive at the end of March or early April, according to the production deadlines," and this matter "is still under discussion with the laboratory."

The United States granted emergency authorization to use the "Johnson & Johnson" vaccine on people over the age of 18.

And South Africa, which has been invaded by one of the mutated strains, is already using this vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson works just like AstraZeneca, where the body is injected with a regular, low-risk influenza virus that carries the genetic code for the emerging corona virus, and thus helps the body to recognize the characteristics of the Corona virus and train the immune system to resist it if infected.

And Johnson & Johnson considers it the only single-dose vaccine so far among the Covid-19 vaccines, but this feature is still practically uncertain, according to the French newspaper.

"The question that arises is, if we give only one dose, what is the duration of protection. We want there to be immunity, but we want it to continue after 6 months," Alain Fischer, head of the steering council for the vaccine strategy in France, explained.

According to the current data, the effectiveness of the "Johnson & Johnson" single-dose vaccine extends for at least 3 months, at a time when a clinical study is underway to examine the effectiveness of the second dose of the vaccine.

 How effective is the Johnson vaccine?

According to the data that the American company sent to the relevant agencies, the "Johnson & Johnson" vaccine is 66% effective against all forms of Covid-19.

This percentage is considered low compared to the 95% effective Pfizer vaccine and the moderna vaccine, which is 94% effective, compared to 70% for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

But its effectiveness against severe forms of Covid-19 reaches 85%, which is close to the more efficient vaccines, namely Pfizer, Moderna and Russian "Sputnik V".

The vaccine also proved its effectiveness by 81% in South Africa, where one of the mutated strains appeared.