Friend 1: Coronavirus Pandemic could be over in 2 years.
Friend 2: Who told??
Friend 1: Yesss, W.H.O told
Many experts say that the vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) have similar safety profiles and effectiveness.
Where they differ substantially is the logistics of handling and storing them.
“The biggest disadvantage to the Pfizer vaccine is just how it needs to be stored, and that it requires special handling and freezing to maintain the proper cold chain,” Dr. Eric Cioe-Pena, director of global health at Northwell Health in New York, told Healthline. Both vaccines require cold storage, but the Pfizer vaccine has to be stored in ultracold temperatures, often requiring special freezers. “Moderna’s storage may make it more suitable for smaller, rural sites,” said Dr. Rob Davidson, an emergency physician in Michigan and the executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare. Both vaccines have produced severe allergic reactions in a handful of cases. Dr. Sam Sun is the director of the inDemic Foundation, a team of scientists, doctors, and epidemiologists with expertise on COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines. He said researchers are looking at a chemical in both vaccines that’s widely used in other medicines, foods, and cosmetics. Sun told Healthline. There’s also more research on whether Moderna may offer some protection against asymptomatic disease, information that was part of a secondary outcome of the study.
“Preliminary analysis suggests that the Moderna vaccine prevents SARS-CoV-2… in addition to preventing COVID-19 disease,” said Sun. Location has a lot to do with the type of vaccine you receive.
I received Moderna, people working in bigger hospitals like TGH were given Pfizer due to their storage capacity. I was open to get whichever I could get faster. According to the CDC vaccine tracker, more than 17 million doses of vaccine have been distributed. That’s 12 million doses sitting around unused that could expire. Adding to that, the United States currently only has enough vaccinations ordered to inoculate 185 million Americans by the end of June. Preparation for both the vaccines differs slightly. Pfizer needs to be thawed and diluted with saline before injection, whereas Moderna comes ready to be administered.
Who can get the vaccine?
Those under 18 likely won’t be eligible to get the vaccine until the spring of 2021 anyway since health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, essential workers, people 65 and older, and those with certain health risks are slated to be the first groups to get vaccinated. And, there may be other vaccines available to younger age groups by then.
With Pfizer, the most common Side effects were: pain at the injection site, followed by tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever, according to the FDA,
Whereas with Moderna the most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by tiredness, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, and chills, an FDA analysis found.
How many shots?
Pfizer is given in 2 shots, 21 days apart, whereas, Moderna is given in 2 shots, 28 days apart.
