COVID-19 What vaccines are available in Canada? There are currently four vaccines available: Moderna, PfizerBioNTech, AstraZeneca/COVIDSHIELD and Johnson & Johnson (also known as Janssen). What do they have in common? All four COVID-19 vaccines help to protect you against SARSCoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) by teaching your immune system to recognize the virus and respond quickly if you become infected. They have been assessed in clinical trials involving thousands of people and are all effective in preventing serious illness that leads to hospitalization or death. These vaccines have similar common side-effects (such as pain at the injection site, chills and feeling tired or feverish) and rare, serious side-effects such as allergic reactions. The AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines both have one very rare side-effect: blood clots. What makes them different from each other? Three of the four vaccines require two doses. The fourth − the Janssen vaccine − requires only one dose. The vaccines also work differently. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines aremRNA vaccines, a type of vaccine that teaches the body’s cells how to produce a spike protein that usually exists on the surface of the COVID-19 virus (see “How do mRNA vaccines work?”). COVID-19 vaccines: questions & answers How do mRNA vaccines work? RNA is a molecule that tells cells how to make proteins. The messenger RNA (mRNA) in the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines contains genetic instructions that tell a cell how to make the spike protein on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. The immune system recognizes the spike protein as something foreign and begins making antibodies that will fight COVID-19. Despite the daily avalanche of COVID-19 stories in the news, people are still hungry for information. Vaccines, which hold out the promise of herd immunity and an eventual return to normal, are arguably top of mind for the average Canadian. Vaccines are certainly top of mind for the folks at CSANews – so much so that we decided to look into the subject ourselves. After doing our due diligence, digging into the depths of the internet and separating fact from fiction, we’re sharing the results of our research with you. The AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines instruct the body’s cells on how to produce the same spike protein, but go about it in a different way. These are known as vector vaccines. Both vaccines contain harmless vector viruses. A vector virus is a modified version of a virus (a harmless virus, not related to the COVID-19 virus). This modified virus contains instructions that cause cells in the body to produce the spike protein which appears on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. Harmless in itself, the spike protein is key to “training” the immune system to recognize and attack the COVID-19 virus. The body responds to the presence of the foreign spike protein by making protective antibodies. Later, if you do get COVID-19, your body will recognize the spike protein on the coronavirus and the antibodies will work to protect you. The vaccines are not all equally effective. Moderna and PfizerBioNTech are about 95% effective in preventing infection, while AstraZeneca and Janssen are in the 60% range. The vaccines are approved for use in different age groups: PfizerBioNTech is approved for people 12 years of age and older, while the other three vaccines are approved for people at least 18 years of age. by Alexis Campbell 40 | www.snowbirds.org
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