Welcome to mbctalk,
Many people want an injection as soon as
possible, while others are worried about putting something unknown into their bodies.
Safety trials begin in the lab, with tests
and research on cells and animals, before moving on to human studies.
The UK has started the first doses of the Pfizer/Biotech
coronavirus vaccine.
As long as the safety data from the labs are
good, scientists can check that the vaccine or treatment is effective too.
That means tests on large numbers of
volunteers – more than thousands of individuals. Some are given the vaccine and the
other half a dummy or placebo.
The researchers and participants are not told
which group is which, until after the results have been analyzed.
All of the data are checked and verified
independently.
The COVID-19 vaccine trials have happened very
fast, but they haven't skipped any steps.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial
was voluntarily put on hold at one stage to investigate why one
participant - out of many thousands - had died.
Pfizer/Biotech’s vaccine uses bits of genetic
code to cause an immune response, and is called an mRNA vaccine.
It does not alter human cells but presents
the body with instructions to build immunity to COVID-19.
There is no way
to know how COVID-19 will affect you. And if you get sick, you could spread the
disease to friends, family, and others around you.
Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines must first show they
are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for
use.
Getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known
as immunity. But experts don’t know how long this protection lasts, and the
risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of
natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an
antibody response without having to experience sickness.
Both natural immunity and immunity produced by a vaccine
are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about.
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