20/05/2021
Sharing post of Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña...
Quick update on vaccines:
1. ALL approved vaccines work well against severe COVID-19 infection. All people who are in the vulnerable population (health care workers, elderly, with comorbids) should get ANY properly approved vaccine as soon as possible.
2. FULL vaccine protection kicks in 2 weeks AFTER the 2nd dose (except for J&J which is 1 dose and kicks in 2 to 6 weeks from the first shot). There is already partial protection from the first dose. For Astra with the 2nd dose at 12 weeks it can be up to 80%.
3. DO NOT SKIP the 2nd dose. While many studies are now showing that ALL EUA vaccines incite ROBUST antibody responses (yes, this includes American, UK, Chinese, Indian and Russian vaccines), the second dose will be ESSENTIAL to ensuring LONG-LASTING protection.
4. Vaccine mixing studies are underway, and a recent Astra + Pfizer study shows good antibody response. Take note that UNLIKE clinical trials, this data is PRELIMINARY at best and only measures antibody production. The TRUE test of a vaccine (or rather a mix of vaccines) is its ability to PREVENT clinical disease - these studies are still ongoing. DO NOT MIX vaccines at this time. There is also data that mixing vaccines can lead to more INTENSE systemic reactions, and so we still need more data on which vaccines are compatible and work best from a safety and efficacy standpoint.
5. DO NOT start a second vaccine course with another vaccine if you already completed one. Aside from unknown data on safety and efficacy, you will be DEPRIVING someone of their vaccine shots because the supply is still not enough for everyone.
6. Boosters are NOT YET a done deal. Most clinical trials have only observed efficacy for 6 to 8 months and the responses are STILL ROBUST. DO NOT get a "booster" until there is sound clinical data. Aside from unknown safety and efficacy, you will also steal someone's shot.
7. There is more and more evidence that ALL approved vaccines also substantially decrease transmission. Recent data for Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac and Astra among others point to substantial transmission risk reduction. This INCLUDES variants. The data is so compelling that the US CDC has stated that fully vaccinated individuals (see #2) can safely remove their masks even indoors. We are NOT THERE yet in the Philippines since our % vaccinated population is still low and we are still recovering from our latest surge. But it is something to look forward to.
8. The data on decreased transmission following vaccination is persuading many countries to gradually open up to fully-vaccinated tourists. The most liberal policies do away with testing and quarantine completely for fully vaccinated travelers. Germany and Saudi Arabia have already done this and more countries are at least lowering their testing and quarantine requirements when dealing with fully vaccinated travelers. This will really help the economy recover. We will continue to study this for local consideration and recommend as appropriate. One more reason to get vaccinated.
9. Don't worry about the brand of vaccine for travel. All available vaccines are expected to eventually get WHO Emergency Use Listing and it is expected that most countries will recognize this as sufficient to admit travelers. WHO EUL listed vaccines are: Pfizer, Astra, Sinopharm, Moderna and Janssen. Sinovac decision is expected by the end of May. Gamaleya and the Indian vaccines are already being evaluated and most if not all are expected to get EUL listing eventually.
10. You DO NOT need to check antibody levels after vaccination. While a recent study showed that neutralizing antibodies seem to correlate with SYMPTOMATIC protection from COVID-19 following vaccination, this DOES NOT mean you need to have demonstrable antibodies to have protection. The types of kits being used vary, and different vaccines have different target antigens and the antibodies may not show up on some tests. These also do not measure cell-mediated immunity (T-cells) which are very important for clearing virus that are inside infected cells.
Whew, that's a lot of info. There is still a lot of conflicting info out there so stick to the good stuff and don't share unverifiable posts. One thing is for sure, VACCINES WORK! Stay safe.
