Facts About US COVID-19 Vaccines, Efficacies & the Variants

Current State Of The Pandemic And COVID Variants In The US: Efficacy, Side Effect And Other Facts About Three US COVID-19 VaccinesIt has been close to a year and a half since we all have been living under the gloomy shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.And yet, by the look of things as they stand now, it does appear that we are still A GOOD WAY OFF from being done with the COVID virusonce and for all.Yes, there are reasons for hope.Vaccines have been rolled out; Covid case and death rates have come down in all 50 US states; norms such as wearing masks and social distancing have been eased to a good degree; economy appears to be on the road to recovery.And yet, for all that, we are anything but out of the woods.

As new variants of the virus continue to emerge at different parts of the world, many are skeptical about the efficacy of the vaccines available at present.What about the mutations? How will the new variants impact not only the efficacy of the vaccines, but also diagnostics and therapy? What brand of vaccine (read Pfizer, Moderna, the one-time J&J) is the most effective?There are enough questions still that are plaguing not only the common populace but also the communities of scientists and researchers working towards finding a solution to this unforeseen predicament weve found ourselves in.Right now, the biggest concern for many seems to be these new emerging variants and how they are going to affect the current ongoing vaccination programs.However, before we go into that, lets have a quick look at the current state of the pandemic in the US.Current State of the Pandemic: Some Vital StatsAt the start of the New Year, most talks with regards to covid-19 were centered around the rollout of a potentially successful vaccination program and how that may lead us to the road to recovery and can revert things back to normal.Right now, though, it seems like weve come a long way from there.

According to recent reports, about 55 percent of all American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.However, that is still some way short of Bidens declared goal of administering at least the first dose of vaccine to 70 percent of the nations adults.Photo by Daniel Schludi on UnsplashThe vaccination programs have also led to many states easing (or abandoning) the masking mandates, social distancing protocols and the like.And in addition to all of these, we have now the Delta variant, detected first in India and labeled as hypertransmissible both by WHO and CDC.

The latter suspects that this new variant has been the main culprit behind the recent 10 PERCENT UPTICK in new Covid cases across the US.CDC tells us that this new strain is now found to be active in all 50 states and accounts for more than one-fourth of all new COVID-19 cases in the country.Currently, Michigan has the highest COVID death rate in the country while Wyoming has clocked the highest COVID case rate.As for the Delta variant, it is found to be most prevalent in the northern and central U.S.

states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, accounting for a little than half of all new COVID cases in the region.Current Status of COVID-19 VaccinationsThe vaccination rate has considerably slowed down in the country from what it was a few months ago.According to CDC reports, as of mid-July, the country is averaging a little more than 600,000 doses per day.For the sake of comparison, the vaccination had reached its peak in April with close to 3,330,000 average doses administered per day.Vaccination by Age GroupsThe high-risk groups, namely older adults and health care workers, were first to receive vaccinations in the US.

Next were younger adults who got their shots at late spring as an increased number of vaccines started to become available.Teenagers, on the other hand, had to wait until May to receive their doses.In fact, the emergency authorization use is still applicable to the program which is why the latter excludes younger children as of now.At present, close to 85 percent of the Americans 66 and older have received at least one shot, whereas the number stands at a little over 60 percent for individuals belonging to the age group 18-64.COVID-19 Variants and Their Impact on VaccinesIt is common for all viruses to evolve over time.

Mutations in the viruss genetic material take place as the virus continues replicating itself.These mutations in the same virus lead to the emergence of what is known as variants.As for Covid-19, the emerging variants include Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and the most recent, Delta, and these variants are classified by WHO as VOC or Variants of Concern.The other group of variants includes Lambda, Kappa, Iota, and Eta, labeled as VOI or Variants of Interest.Photo by Hakan Nural on UnsplashThe VOI variants are characterized by factors such as diagnostic escape, immune escape, disease severity, and transmissibility.

However, it is the VOI variants that are considered more deadly since they can significantly impact the efficacy of the vaccines and other health and therapeutic measures; and can also lead to an increase in fatality as well as a rise in transmissibility.This is one reason why US authorities are apprehensive about the Delta variant and feel that it may turn out to be the dominant covid-19 strain in the coming weeks or even months.Recent reports published by WHO remarks that evidence regarding variants and their behavior still remains preliminary.However, as more data is collected and analyzed each day, scientists, researchers, and health officials are doing their best to determine the behavior and characteristics of the different variants, including the latters impact on the efficacy of the vaccines available at current.Which One is the Best Vaccine?As of now, weve got three authorized vaccines in the US: Pfizer- BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

Although, as of now, individuals have no say as to which vaccine they want to receive, many are still naturally curious as to which one of the three is the most effective against the virus.Moreover, if manufacturers are able to increase production, it can soon be a reality when one can indeed choose which vaccine one wants to go for.Now, the principal difference between the vaccines is, of course, that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses whereas the J&J requires one shot only.People would be, however, more curious about things such as the efficacy rates of the respective vaccines, their side effects (if any), and how fast the protection kicks in the case of each vaccine.There are some preliminary reports available regarding all of the above.

However, it must be mentioned that none of these are conclusive enough simply because the scientists do not have enough comparable or head-to-head data with which to work.This is only natural since all of these vaccines are only few months old and opportunities were scant for clinical trials and the like.EfficacyNonetheless, from clinical trials that are performed, after all, the two-shot doses of Moderna and Pfizer are found to have a slightly higher efficacy rate than the one-shot J&J vaccine.As such, individuals classified as belonging to the high-risk groups are usually administered the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer shots by the attending doctors and health workers.Photo by Mufid Majnun on UnsplashImmunity timelineMoreover, according to available data on symptomatic infections, the Pfizer vaccine works slightly faster in building T cells and antibodies and in providing maximum protection compared to the Moderna shots.

Given the duration between two shots, it was measured that the Pfizer vaccine reaches the maximum protection point at about 28 days after the first shot whereas, with the Moderna, it takes about 42 days.As such, if someone is critically sick and/or is running the risk of dying from the disease, it is more likely that the attending physician will prescribe a Pfizer vaccine for that person.On the other hand, with J&J, one achieves about 85 percent protection from severe disease after four weeks and almost 100 percent after seven weeks.Side effectsAll three vaccines in the US are found to cause some mild and temporary side effects such as joint and muscle pain, headache, fatigue, and pain at the injection site.However, there are no reasons to get worried about.These side effects, in fact, indicate that your immune system is responding to the vaccine and is already at the task of developing T cells and antibodies.Two-shot doses: It is important to note that those with stronger immune systems (younger people or who have had COVID-19 before) will normally feel sicker after the first shot and they may have to take a day or two off from work.NOTE that older individuals will suffer less from side effects from any of the three vaccines.Does Any One Vaccine Work Better Than the Others in Resisting Variants?Reports tell us that some people are ready to believe that the J&J vaccine works better than the other two only since it showed up later than the other two vaccines.Photo by Nick Fewings on UnsplashHowever, according to scientists, it is almost impossible to tell if any of the vaccines will work better against emerging variants.

All three vaccines were tested and manufactured at different times when different strains or variants of the virus were in circulation.Moreover, as WHO reports, the vaccines themselves will have to evolve in accordance with the evolution of the virus and the manufacturers will need to make continual adjustments to make the vaccines provide optimal protection against new viruses.There may be requirements for booster shots; the vaccines may need to include different strains during the development stage; and other changes (based on findings from clinical trials, case studies, etc.) may need to be made to optimize the vaccines efficacy.Final WordsDoctors and scientists working on developing the vaccines are unanimous on the point that all three vaccines in the US provide adequate protection against severe infections, hospitalizations, and death.Nevertheless, a few people still appear doubtful as to whether they should receive a shot now or wait for the newer vaccines, purportedly better able to cope with the variants.On this point, however, all doctors agree that it is better to take your vaccine now than wait for a different one.

For one thing, vaccines develop a broad range of T cells and antibodies in our system and as such, mutations or changes in the virus can barely make any vaccine altogether ineffective.Secondly, by taking the vaccine now, youre not only helping yourself but youre also benefitting the society by actually lowering the chances of the virus transmissibility.And the less the virus spreads, the less chance it will have to replicate and mutate itself.