Active discussion has begun in Kyrgyzstan since yesterday about what vaccine the Kyrgyz people will be vaccinated with. It has started with information that the Kyrgyz side had refused the Pfizer vaccine. Initially, people began to search for a political implication in such a decision, they say, this is due to the fact that Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), however, the answer turned out to be much simpler - the country does not have suitable equipment for storing vaccines in the necessary conditions. The situation is really interesting. Which vaccine will be used in Kyrgyzstan, and which one is better?
Not so long ago, the World Health Organization announced that more than 2 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines would be distributed around the world by the end of the year. The report says that these will be medicines from various manufacturers, mainly Western ones. But, for example, nothing is said about the Sputnik V vaccine, which is produced in Russia, but which is currently being tested, and is planned to be released in different countries of the world, and not only in the EAEU.
As for the effectiveness of all vaccines being prepared for release, the situation here is not straightforward. Not much time has passed since the start of vaccine production, therefore testing is being done right now, including on humans. Some sources talk about good results, others talk about side effects and even death of people. For example, a similar situation recently happened with the Pfizer vaccine. 23 patients have died in Norway after vaccination.
Representative of the Norwegian Medicines Agency Steinar Madsen told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) that "all deaths among volunteers were recorded in people over 80 years old who had chronic diseases," RBC reported.
“These cases are not particularly alarming. It is clear that this vaccine has a very small risk factor, with a few exceptions when it comes to elderly patients with weak health,” he said.
As for Sputnik V, it was previously reported that 85% of the tested tolerated the vaccine well. Those 15% who were unlucky observed a fever, headache, muscle aches and reddened at the injection site.
“Post-registration clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine involving more than 40 thousand people were launched in Russia and Belarus on Aug. 25, 2020. A number of countries will also join the research, including the UAE, India, Venezuela, Egypt and Brazil. The vaccine received a registration certificate from the Ministry of Health of Russia on Aug. 11, and in accordance with the rules adopted during the pandemic, it can be used to vaccinate the population in Russia. It is planned to increase vaccine production in Russia and around the world,” the vaccine manufacturer said in a statement.
In general, the issue of the safety of future vaccines is a rather serious topic, and it is discussed in many circles, including scientific ones. Thus, a conference was held last week, in which more than 2800 scientists from 130 countries took part. The event was organized by the World Health Organization. In addition to the safety of the vaccine, issues of research direction and virus research were discussed.
The participants of the conference stressed that the production of a vaccine and the beginning of its testing in such a short time is a great achievement.
“The development and approval of safe and effective vaccines less than a year after the emergence of a new virus is a stunning scientific achievement, and a much-needed source of hope,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his opening remarks.
“The approval of the first few vaccines does not mean the job is done. Far from it. More vaccines are in the pipeline, which must be evaluated to ensure we have enough doses to vaccinate everyone,” he added.
The issue of equity in distribution of vaccines was also raised. More than 30 million vaccine doses have already been administered in 47 mostly high-income countries. But the global vaccine rollout has exposed glaring inequalities in access to this life-saving tool.
“The spirit of collaboration has to prevail in these challenging times as we seek to understand this virus,” said Dr John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. “We have to be mindful of the inequalities and we must deliberately promote investment in regional capacities to level the playing field and have meaningful collaboration to begin to address some of the challenges.”
Experts agreed the need for critical research on administering vaccines in different target populations, as well as on vaccination delivery strategies and schedules. This includes trials, modelling and observational studies, all of which would help to inform policy.
They discussed the impact of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants on the efficacy of vaccines, the impact of vaccines on transmission of infection, and the need to develop the next generation of vaccine platforms.
“The world needs multiple vaccines that work in different populations in order to meet global demand and end the COVID-19 outbreak. Ideally, those will be single-dose vaccines that do not require cold chain, could be delivered without a needle and syringe and are amenable to large-scale manufacture,” said Professor Mike Levine, Director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland.
The meeting concluded with agreement to establish a WHO-hosted platform for global sharing and coordination of emerging vaccine research information on efficacy and safety. The forum would enable scientists to share and discuss unpublished and published data and research protocols to further our collective understanding of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
“The WHO will regularly convene experts from around the world, promote collaborative research, provide standard protocols and develop a platform for sharing the latest knowledge in the field,” said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist.
Kabar News Agency
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