A doctor has urged people to get one of the two coronavirus vaccines as soon as they possibly can. In response to a tweet by a colleague and former Labour MP Dr Paul Williams saying "Some local patients have turned down an offer this weekend of getting a Covid vaccine when they found out it was the Pfizer one. 'I'll wait for the English one'." It stated.
Dr Simon Stockley, from Stockton, said he did not think there was a difference between the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca version. "The best vaccine as far as I can work out is the one that can be put into your arm soonest," he said.
The US/German Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was made available at the start of December, while the Oxford-AstraZeneca version was authorised on 30 December. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said both vaccines were safe.
The vast majority of people are still vulnerable to coronavirus. It's only the current restrictions that are preventing more people from dying. Vaccines teach our bodies to fight the infection by stopping us from catching coronavirus or at least making Covid less deadly. Having a vaccine, alongside better treatments, is "the" exit strategy.
The two vaccines being rolled out at the moment are the Pfizer- BioNtech and the Oxford-AstraZeneca. However, the Spanish government has signed agreements with six different vaccine manufacturers which will de deployed as and when they are ready and authorised.
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Info about both vaccines:
Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine - USA/Germany
The big breakthrough came when Pfizer-BioNTech published its first results in November. They showed the vaccine is up to 95% effective.
The UK is due to get 40 million doses. It is given in two doses, three weeks apart.
The vaccine must be stored at a temperature of around -70C. It will be transported in a special box, packed in dry ice and installed with GPS trackers.
On 2 December, the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine - UK
The roll-out of the Oxford vaccine began on 5 January. It was approved late in 2020 after trials showed that it stopped 70% of people developing Covid symptoms.
The data also showed a strong immune response in older people.
There is also intriguing data that suggests perfecting the dose could increase protection up to 90%
The UK has ordered 100 million doses. It is given in two doses
This may be one of the easiest vaccines to distribute because it does not need to be stored at very cold temperatures.
It is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus from chimpanzees, that has been modified to not grow in humans.
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