Chronicle Editor
Tatenda Simango
I HOPE I find you well and in good spirits in this month of ‘‘love’’. February brings hope that the lockdown will be relaxed as it has seen the reduction in the number of new infections, although the fatality rate is still a concern.
Everyone must understand that behavioural change is paramount to fighting Covid-19 more than any vaccine or remedy treats.
The new strain of Covid-19 in South Africa has been reported to be unresponsive to the AstraZeneca vaccine that was delivered during the course of the week. This shows the level of vigilance from scientists monitoring and evaluating the pandemic. AstraZeneca will replace the vaccines to supply the appropriate vaccine for the strain.
Bollinger, from Hopkins, explains: “All RNA viruses mutate over time, some more than others. For example, flu viruses change often, which is why doctors recommend that you get a new flu vaccine every year.”
Researchers have preliminary evidence that some of the new variants seem to bind more tightly to our cells. It may be more advantageous for a respiratory virus to evolve so that it spreads more easily.
The South African variant is called B.1.351. This variant seems to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of Covid-19. An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalisations and potentially more deaths.
Fortunately the vaccines we have are very easy to tweak and tailor-make them for a specific variant.
Zimbabwe has purchased 600 000 Covid-19 vaccines from Sinopharm in addition to the Chinese government who donated 200 000 doses that are expected this March. There are two types of Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac. Early Phase I and II data suggest that the Chinese vaccines are safe, however, vaccine makers Sinopharm and Sinovac have not published Phase III trial data in peer-reviewed medical journals or released much information about their vaccines beyond Press releases and headline efficacy figures.
Sinopharm vaccine is an inactivated vaccine. It works by using killed viral particles to expose the body’s immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response. According to the data of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials, the observation result still shows a high level of antibody after six months of vaccination, explained Liu Jingzhen, chairman of Sinopharm.
In developing the vaccine, Beijing Institute researchers obtained three variants of the coronavirus from patients in Chinese hospitals. They picked one of the variants because it was able to multiply quickly in monkey kidney cells grown in bioreactor tanks.
Once the researchers produced large stocks of the coronaviruses, they doused them with a chemical called beta-propiolactone. The compound disabled the coronaviruses by bonding to their genes. The inactivated coronaviruses could no longer replicate. But their proteins, including spike, remained intact.
The researchers then drew off the inactivated viruses and mixed them with a tiny amount of an aluminium-based compound called an adjuvant. Adjuvants stimulate the immune system to boost its response to a vaccine.
Inactivated viruses have been used for over a century. Jonas Salk used them to create his polio vaccine in the 1950s and they’re the bases for vaccines against other diseases including rabies and hepatitis A.
Butantan Institute said that the vaccine was 78 percent effective in preventing mild cases of Covid-19 and 100 percent effective against severe and moderate infections. One of the remarkable advantages of the Sinopharm Covid-19 inactivated vaccine is the convenient storage and transportation, which just needs under the environment of two to eight degrees Celsius with no special and harsh requirements so that we can transport the vaccine with ordinary cold chain.
Will Henry, a 31-year-old American teacher in Shanghai, received the vaccine and had this to say: “I had no side effects. I was almost looking forward to having one because I heard that’s a sign that it’s working, but I’m going to take having no side effects as a good thing. My life hasn’t really changed at all either, but I’m feeling more optimistic.”
Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine has been vaccinated more than 10 million doses, but has not received the serious adverse reaction report till now. We monitor the local reaction, mainly just inoculation site pain, swelling, rash and itching.
Below is a systemic list (affecting other areas of the body away from inoculation site), rare and very rare side effects.
Systemic reactions mainly include headache, muscle ache, joint pain, cough, difficulty breathing, nausea, diarrhoea and fever. Uncommon side effects include dizziness, loss of appetite, vomiting, throat pain, difficulty swallowing, runny nose, constipation and hypersensitivity.
For rare, it lists acute allergic reaction, lethargy, drowsiness, difficulty sleeping, sneezing, nasal congestion, dry throat, influenza, hypoesthesia, limb pain, palpitations, stomach ache, rash, skin and mucous membrane abnormalities, acne, eye pain, ear discomfort, and lymphadenopathy.
Very rare, it lists chills, dysgeusia (distortion of the sense of taste), loss of taste, feeling abnormal, tremors, difficulty paying attention, nose bleeds, asthma, throat irritation, tonsillitis, limb discomfort, neck pain, jaw pain, neck lumps, mouth ulcers, toothache, oesophageal disease, gastritis, discolouration of stool, eye pain, blurred vision, eye irritation, vision loss, earache, nervousness, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, urinary incontinence and delayed menstruation.
The vaccine is undergoing Phase 3 trial which begin in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. There have been no side effects that have justified the halting and withdrawal of trials. We trust we will have the same consistency in results when vaccination is rolled out in Zimbabwe this March. The use of the vaccine will be used together with preventative measures of masks, physical distancing, sanitising and cough etiquette. Till next week.
-Dr Tatenda Simango can be contacted on [email protected] or follow him on Facebook@ 9th Avenue Surgery.
Online Reporter