I have been doing some reading and research as well as following the current trends on the effects of the COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered worldwide.
There are four main types of COVID-19 vaccines. Four categories of vaccines have been in clinical trials: whole virus, protein subunit, viral vector and nucleic acid (RNA and DNA).
So far the Americas, Canada, Australia and Europe are leading the pack, manufacturing and taking the Mordena and Pfizer vaccines much more, whiles the greater part of Asia is taking the Oxford AstraZeneca from Covax facility in India and Sputnik-V from Russia.
There is also a recent Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine made in the USA which is said to be very effective against Covid-19. This one is taken only once unlike the others which requires two doses to make it completely effective.
The first two vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna are said to be 95% effective. The last two of which Ghana is taking (AstraZeneca) is said to be 65% effective and very safe to use. The second one is the Sputnik-V vaccine.
This vaccine is yet to be delivered and it has recently been acclaimed to be 91.6% effective, even though people are still very skeptical about it’s real efficacy. But its so far proven to be very safe and effective against severe Covid-19.
There were rumours that the German Chancellor had refused to take the AstraZeneca vaccine and rather preferred the Pfizer dose. But Canada has placed orders for AstraZeneca to vaccinate its citizens because its proven to be effective against COVID-19.
According to a recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it noted in its Moderna and Pfizer vaccine reports that swelling of the lymph nodes was “plausibly related to the vaccine” and was most often witnessed in the arm and neck regions two to four days after vaccination.
Swelling tended to last for an average of one to two days for Moderna and approximately 10 days for Pfizer. These vaccines are said to be 95% effective against the coronavirus.
The AstraZeneca vaccine which Ghana is currently administering is said to be 65% effective and has similar side effects like the Pfizer vaccines and people have already reported experiencing side effects such as painful left arm, tiredness, bodily pains and severe headaches, but it goes away after a day or two.
These Covid-19 vaccines won’t in anyway prevent anyone from contracting the coronavirus, or spreading it for that matter, but it will for sure help you fight the disease better if you get infected with the deadly virus.
What it does is to boost your immune system antibodies and prep them to fight off the infection when it comes. We must also eat well, eat the right foods, rest well and exercise to keep the body in good shape to fight off the coronavirus and any other related diseases during the pandemic.
So it also means that all previous Covid-19 safety protocols still remain in force.
Wearing of face masks, social distancing, and washing of hands religiously with running water and soap. That’s the best way to fight the disease whether you have been vaccinated or not.
So people out there, if the vaccine is available where you are and you are entitled to take it, please do so pronto because when you are safe, everyone else will also be safe.
Well, I haven’t taken my Covid-19 jab yet but hopefully when I do, I will surely let you in on my personal experience.
