A Number Of Vaccines Are Being Tested To Find Out Which Is Best To Keep People Safe And Healthy
This year has been an awful year for the majority of people round the world. Due to the Covid 19 virus, we have all had to live under several restrictions over and over again in order to ensure that we defeat the virus and help life return to normal. We have had to end social contact with our loved ones and ensure that we maintain social distancing when out and about to avoid transferring the virus from person to person. Now there seems to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon with the news that vaccines are being developed which are over 90% successful at preventing people from catching the virus.
One of the main vaccine candidates is a jab developed by Pfizer and it’s partner BioNTech were found to be more than 90% effective. This is still in the testing stage with many human volunteers involved but if and when ready, the mass roll out of the vaccine will present a massive, logistical challenge for the government as the entire population needs to be immunised. This is because even though some people may have had covid 19, studies have shown that if someone develops immunity to the disease, this might not last long and people may have to have a vaccine a few times a year to ensure that they stay protected.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius and this will present a huge challenge for GP surgeries in the UK who’s fridges will already be full with seasonal flu vaccines.
The UK government hasn’t said whether it will be made mandatory for the whole population to have the Covid 19 vaccine but it is hoped that as many people as possible will have it to ensure they are protected and help the NHS from becoming overwhelmed by the number of people who may need hospital treatment after contacting the disease.
To ensure that everyone gets the vaccine, everyone will have to have two doses to ensure that they are fully protected and will have to be given this in different age groups. There have been many discussions to try and find out who should get the vaccine first and who is most in need.
As things stand, the priority list for who gets the vaccine first is as follows:
Care homes residents and staff
Anyone aged 80 and over, and health and social care workers
Anyone aged 75 and over
Anyone aged 70 and over
Anyone aged 65 and over
High-risk adults under 65
Moderate-risk adults under 65
Anyone aged 60 years and over
Anyone aged 55 and over
Anyone aged 50 and over
Rest of the population (priority to be determined)
This will be a huge challenge as due to social distancing measures etc. a proper facility needs to be found where as many people possible can be given the vaccine. It is thought that there may be large sports halls or facilities which have enough space to ensure everyone is spaced out properly and can follow the right restrictions.
It also needs to be decided as to who will give the vaccines. Will it be GP’s or will it be better for members of the armed forces to give the vaccine like they have been carrying out the test and trace system in Liverpool. Pfizer has also said that it expects the vaccine to become a seasonal jab in the same way as the flu vaccine. This will help ensure that everyone gets the jab at the right time for different waves of the virus.
Even though the vaccine is still being tested for it’s safety and efficacy, it has been revealed that the UK government has signed deals for a further ninety million doses of the vaccine. This needs to be done as this is a brand new virus which no one knows how to cure yet so we have to have as many preventative measures as possible so that everyone remains safe and well. We also have to ensure that we have enough so that everyone can have the two doses they need to remain healthy.
It is thought that the UK might be the first country in the world to have three working Covid 19 vaccines available by Christmas. This should help ensure that people can have a safer Christmas that they can enjoy, whilst all the time following the correct restrictions such as social distancing etc.
Another vaccine which has been created is by a company called Moderna. This was found to be 95% effective at preventing the disease. That’s even higher than the 90% bench mark announced by Pfizer for their vaccine. Tests are still ongoing to find out which vaccine is best to give to people to prevent them catching Covid 19. We will just have to carry on the testing procedure to find out which is the best to give the global population to ensure they remain safe and well.
