12/17/20- An FDA panel voted 20-0 today to approve Moderna’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. The same panel approved Pfizer’s vaccine last week. The FDA gave Pfizer’s vaccine approval within 24 hours of that vote. If the same timeline happens for Moderna, it would mean their first vaccines will be given in about four days.
12/4/20- The United Kingdom has approved Pfizer’s mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. The first shots will be given in less than four days. The U.K. will be the first western nation to have vaccinated citizens once the first round arrives from Belgium.
“We believe it is really the start of the end of the pandemic,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said Wednesday. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the emergency authorization as “a historic moment in the fight against Covid-19,” and that “millions more” will be delivered to the U.K. this month following the initial round.
11/27/20- A panel from the CDC will meet this coming Tuesday. They will discuss how to allocate the initial portion of Covid-19 vaccines. After the discussion and a brief public comment period, doctors will vote on allocation of the first vaccine doses. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will most likely be giving the first round to front line workers and elderly citizens. Health experts say the first doses go to health care workers who treat COVID-19 patients and the elderly, who are most at risk. The CDC committe warned people about possible side effects of the vaccine this week.
FDA Approval For Emergency Use
FDA approval can come at any time as Pfizer applied for emergency use of the vaccine this week. The federal government plans to send over six million doses of their vaccine across the United States within 24 hours of FDA approval. The meeting will be December 10th.
General Gustave Perna,oversees logistics of Operation Warp Speed. He said the allocation is based on each states population. Vaccine production will increase upon approval so there should be an increasing weekly amount following the initial round. Moderna has also applied for emergency approval. The first two vaccines to apply for emergency use, Pfizer and Moderna, are both mRNA vaccines. These mRNA vaccines have not been peer reviewed. mRNA vaccines are drastically different than traditional vaccines. The FDA has never approved an mRNA vaccine (even though they have been around over 30 years).
The Main Difference Between Traditional and mRNA Vaccines.
Traditional vaccine shots inject a dead or weakened form of the virus into the body. This triggers the immune system to create proteins called antibodies. mRNA vaccines on the other hand send a synthetically created fragment of RNA into the human cell. These synthetic molecules contain instructions on how to create antibodies to the virus. MRNA vaccines are not grown., but are manufactured in the interest of time and cost. So the main difference is that mRNA vaccines send the info on how to create antibodies instead of sending a weakened form of the virus and letting the body learn how to defend against it.
This website will be updating the situation following Tuesdays meeting. We were hoping for the more traditional Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to be FDA approved first. It is a more conventional vaccine. AstraZeneca has also promised to supply hundreds of millions of doses to low and middle income countries. It will also deliver the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis to those nations in perpetuity. They will probably give first doses of mRNA vaccines will around December 11th. We hope this project is successful. This is a new age in medicine.
The main question about the shots being offered is, how safe are they actually going to prove to be several years from now? Big pharma says the contents of the shot will stay in the arm and create immunity there. With new technology being rolled out, mostly in the construction of a synthetic nano lipid particle, that would be something to keep an eye on as it is made to transport mRNA more effectively.
The best way to stay healthy this winter is to practice social distancing and maintain a clean healthy lifestyle. A strong immune system comes from a vigorous exercise regimen and healthy diet rich in Vitamin D, Zinc and other essential nutrients.
