The European Medicines Agency (EMA) released heavyweight research –
Evidence shows that a new crown vaccine using mRNA technology, such as that of Pfizer and Moderna, is able to neutralize the Indian variant of the virus that poses a global threat!
As of the 12th of this month, the cumulative number of new crown deaths in India crossed the 250,000 mark. The tsunami of the Indian epidemic caused by the dual variant of B.1.617 is refreshing people’s perceptions every moment. As of press time, the variant has been found in 44 countries around the world, including Canada, China, the United States and the United Kingdom. WHO has warned that B.1.617 has become “a variant of global concern”.
As we watch India burn through the fire of the epidemic, one of the greatest fears and concerns of many people is.
Will this vicious double variant render the vaccine ineffective? Will all the painstaking efforts to get the vaccine and the Indian variant undo all the work?
On the same day, the European Medicines Agency issued its latest statement, which can let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
“The data on the fact that the messenger RNA vaccine is able to neutralize the B.1.617 variant appear to be very reliable. mRNA vaccines are able to neutralize this variant at least to the extent that sufficient protection is guaranteed.” Marco Cavaleri, head of the European Medicines Agency’s vaccine division, said excitedly in a press release.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both mRNA vaccines, are also currently the “mainstay” of universal vaccination in Canada.
Pfizer vaccine being administered to people at a Surrey site in Greater Vancouver
As for the effectiveness of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine against the Indian variant, the European Medicines Agency said it is still waiting for “real-world data. The agency will judge how effective the vaccine is against the double variant by the effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the local Indian population.
In fact, just last Wednesday, two other recent studies revealed the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against the British variant B.1.1.7 and the South African variant B.1.351.
The first study, conducted in Qatar, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Approximately 50% of new infections in that country were caused by the South African variant and approximately 40% were caused by the British variant.
After studying 265,000 Qatari vaccine recipients who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, the researchers found that the Pfizer vaccine was 97.4 percent effective in preventing “severe illness or death” from any form of the new coronavirus. The Pfizer vaccine was 100% effective in preventing “severe illness and death” caused by the British or South African variants.
Two weeks after the second dose, the Pfizer vaccine was approximately 87%-89.5% effective in preventing infection with the British variant. For the South African variant, the Pfizer vaccine was 75% effective in protecting people two weeks after the second dose.
The second study, conducted in Israel, was published in The Lancet. The study analyzed Israeli vaccination data and found that seven days after the second dose of Pfizer vaccine, the vaccine provided 95% protection against infection with the new coronavirus.
Seventy percent of Israel’s adult population, more than 5 million people, have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine – a 95 percent effectiveness figure based on this large study population.
At the same time, the researchers also found that one week after the second dose, the Pfizer vaccine also provided 95% protection against infection with the British variant and 96% protection against death caused by the British variant.
Fourteen days after the second dose, these figures rose to 96.5% and 98%, respectively.
Since April 18, Israel has officially lifted its outdoor mask order.
Clearly, the Pfizer vaccine is making a powerful impact in the real world.
The U.S., where a significant portion of the population has already been vaccinated with Pfizer and Modena, has now seen daily new cases drop to the lowest level in eight months. Compared to the beginning of January of this year, new infections have plummeted by 85 percent. In addition, the daily increase in deaths associated with new crowns has reached its lowest level in 10 months, with some states even reporting zero deaths for several days in a row.
To date, more than 58% of adults in the U.S. have received at least 1 dose of the vaccine, and 45% have completed two full doses.
This week, the U.S. officially approved the Pfizer New Crown vaccine for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, and some states have already begun vaccinating children. Data on the effectiveness of using the Pfizer vaccine in children ages 2 to 11 will be available this fall, and approval to administer it to that age group is expected soon, the Pfizer vice president revealed.
Canada is also now accelerating the rate of vaccination across the board, with the number of vaccines administered per capita per day, already surpassing the U.S. and the U.K. and ranking first among G20 countries!
In B.C., for example, all people over the age of 30 in Greater Vancouver are now eligible for the vaccine. And residents of several hotspots are eligible for early vaccination as long as they are at least 18 years old. And, the vast majority of the new crown vaccines currently used throughout BC are Pfizer and Moderna.
There are already more and more friends and family members who have gotten the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Now I believe many Canadians are heartily happy and excited to read about the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccine against the variant virus.
May we all be immunized soon and embrace a better new life!
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