The Status of Covid-19 Vaccines – Episode 45, To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow

The Status of Covid-19 Vaccines – Episode 45, To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow

Three different Covid-19 vaccines are in late stage development, and the companies who have developed them may be seeking approval for distribution very soon. On this edition of “To Your Health,” Dr. Morrow examines each of these vaccines and discusses whether they are safe and effective. “To Your Health” is brought to you by Morrow Family Medicine, which brings the CARE back to healthcare.

Morrow Family Medicine is an award-winning, state-of-the-art family practice with offices in Cumming and Milton, Georgia. The practice combines healthcare information technology with old-fashioned care to provide the type of care that many are in search of today. Two physicians, three physician assistants and two nurse practitioners are supported by a knowledgeable and friendly staff to make your visit to Morrow Family Medicine one that will remind you of the way healthcare should be.  At Morrow Family Medicine, we like to say we are “bringing the care back to healthcare!”  Morrow Family Medicine has been named the “Best of Forsyth” in Family Medicine in all five years of the award, is a three-time consecutive winner of the “Best of North Atlanta” by readers of Appen Media, and the 2019 winner of “Best of Life” in North Fulton County.

Dr. Jim Morrow, Morrow Family Medicine, and Host of “To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow”

Dr. Jim Morrow is the founder and CEO of Morrow Family Medicine. He has been a trailblazer and evangelist in the area of healthcare information technology, was named Physician IT Leader of the Year by HIMSS, a HIMSS Davies Award Winner, the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce Steve Bloom Award Winner as Entrepreneur of the Year and he received a Phoenix Award as Community Leader of the Year from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.  He is married to Peggie Morrow and together they founded the Forsyth BYOT Benefit, a charity in Forsyth County to support students in need of technology and devices. They have two Goldendoodles, a gaggle of grandchildren and enjoy life on and around Lake Lanier.

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The complete show archive of “To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow” addresses a wide range of health and wellness topics, and can be found at www.toyourhealthradio.com.

Dr. Morrow’s Show Notes

How Vaccines Work

• The Immune System—
  • To understand how vaccines work, it helps to first look at how the body fights illness.
  • When germs, such as bacteria or viruses, invade the body, they attack and multiply.
  • This invasion, called an infection, is what causes illness.
  • The immune system uses several tools to fight infection.
  • Blood contains red blood cells, for carrying oxygen to tissues and organs, and white or immune cells, for fighting infection.
    • These white cells consist primarily of macrophages, B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes:
      • Macrophages are white blood cells that swallow up and digest germs, plus dead or dying cells.
        • The macrophages leave behind parts of the invading germs called antigens.
        • The body identifies antigens as dangerous and creates antibodies to attack them.
      • B-lymphocytes are defensive white blood cells.
        • They produce antibodies that attack the antigens left behind by the macrophages.
      • T-lymphocytes are another type of defensive white blood cell.
        • They attack cells in the body that have already been infected.
      • The first time the body encounters a germ, it can take several days to make and use all the germ-fighting tools needed to get over the infection.
        • After the infection, the immune system remembers what it learned about how to protect the body against that disease.
        • The body keeps a few T-lymphocytes, called memory cells, that go into action quickly if the body encounters the same germ again.
        • When the familiar antigens are detected, B-lymphocytes produce antibodies to attack them.

Current State

• In the United States, there is not yet an authorized or approved vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
  • The federal government, through Operation Warp Speed, has been working since the pandemic started to make one or more COVID-19 vaccines available as soon as possible.
  • Although CDC does not have a role in developing COVID-19 vaccines,
    • CDC has been working closely with health departments and partners to develop vaccination plans for when a vaccine is available.
  • With the possibility of one or more COVID-19 vaccines becoming available before the end of the year, here are some things you need to know about where those plans currently stand.
    • The safety of COVID-19 vaccines is a top priority.
      • The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible.
    • Many vaccines are being developed and tested, but some might be ready before others—CDC is planning for many possibilities.
    • At least at first, COVID-19 vaccines might be used under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    • There may be a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines before the end of 2020, but supply will continually increase in the weeks and months that follow.
      • The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as large quantities are available.
        • The plan is to have several thousand vaccination providers available, including doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers.
      • If there is limited supply, some groups may be recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine first.
      • Experts are working on how to distribute these limited vaccines in a fair, ethical, and transparent way.
    • At first, COVID-19 vaccines may not be recommended for children.
      • In early clinical trials for various COVID-19 vaccines, only non-pregnant adults participated.
        • However, clinical trials continue to expand those recruited to participate.
        • The groups recommended to receive the vaccines could change in the future.
      • Cost will not be an obstacle to getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
        • Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost.
          • However, vaccine providers will be able to charge administration fees for giving or administering the shot to someone.
          • Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance.

The Possibilities

• Pfizer and Moderna used the same basic design to build their vaccines. Both vaccines contain a genetic molecule called messenger RNA, which is wrapped in an oily bubble. The bubble can fuse to a muscle cell and deliver the RNA. Encoded in that molecule are instructions for building a single coronavirus protein called spike protein. When a vaccinated cell releases copies of the spike protein, the immune system learns to make antibodies against it.
• While scientists have investigated mRNA vaccines for years, no vaccine has yet been licensed as safe and effective to use in people. When Moderna and other vaccine makers began designing mRNA vaccines for coronaviruses, skeptics wondered how well they would work. The two preliminary reports from both Moderna and Pfizer suggest this type of vaccine may work very well. Neither trial has uncovered serious side effects from the vaccines, although studies on their safety are continuing.

 Moderna Vaccine

• Covid-19 can lead to a mild illness, or it can lead to a severe case that requires hospitalization and oxygen support. Out of the 95 people who got sick in the Moderna study, 11 experienced severe disease. None of those 11 people were vaccinated. In other words, the five vaccinated people who got sick experienced only mild symptoms, and all of the severe cases were participants from the placebo group.
• “It couldn’t be a more favorable split,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida.
• The split suggests that Moderna’s vaccine doesn’t just block the virus in most cases, but also shields the people who do get sick from the worst outcomes of the disease. It also eases concerns that a vaccine for Covid-19 may make the disease worse, not better.
• Moderna took a billion dollars from Operation Warp Speed.
• Pfizer did not take money from OWS, but they do have a distribution agreement with the government.

Pfizer – BioNTec Vaccine

• The drug maker Pfizer said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine was 95 percent effective and had no serious side effects — the first set of complete results from a late-stage vaccine trial as Covid-19 cases skyrocket around the globe.
• The data showed that the vaccine prevented mild and severe forms of Covid-19, the company said. And it was 94 percent effective in older adults, who are more vulnerable to developing severe Covid-19 and who do not respond strongly to some types of vaccines.
• Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with its partner BioNTech, said the companies planned to apply to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization“within days,” raising hopes that a working vaccine could soon become a reality.
• The trial results — less than a year after researchers began working on the vaccine — shattered all speed records for vaccine development, a process that usually takes years.

Astra Zeneca – Oxford Vaccine

• AstraZeneca’s vaccine is a different type. It uses a virus from chimpanzees, an adenovirus, to carry protein into the cells to make them produce spike proteins.
• Developed by the University of Oxford, this vaccine is effective at stopping people developing Covid-19 symptoms, a large trial shows.
• Interim data suggests 70% protection, but the researchers say the figure may be as high as 90% by tweaking the dose.
• The results will be seen as a triumph but come after Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showed 95% protection.
• However, the Oxford vaccine is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two.
• So, the vaccine will play a significant role in tackling the pandemic, if it is approved for use by regulators.

The Bottom Line

• A vaccine is on the way.
  • It will be safe when released and
  • apparently will be much more effective than we first thought it might be.
  • People need to have an open mind about this and realize that politicians did not make these vaccines.
  • When the time comes, and you are offered the vaccine, TAKE IT!

Source:  www.cdc.gov