Covishield vaccine of Oxford Astra-Zeneca - All you need to know

Covishield, a vaccine of Oxford Astra-Zeneca, is considered the most effective, travel-friendly and safe vaccine to tackle the global pandemic crisis.

Friday, 12th February 2021

World: Coronavirus pandemic coerced the world as a whole to work entirely on creating and distributing a vaccine. After a year since the virus started to spread and caused a global impact, three vaccines rolled out. The three Covid-19 vaccines are from Pfizer-BioNTech, the University of Oxford - Astra-Zeneca - Moderna. These three vaccines are the only ones that the governments approved of the UK, Europe, and most countries in the Asia region. The Pfizer, Oxford, and Moderna vaccines each demand two shots, and a person is not fully immunized until they have had both doses. As per-statistics from various labs, Pfizer-Biotech is considered to be 95% effective after two doses. Similarly, the Moderna vaccine is 95% effective against the virus. However, the Oxford Astra-Zeneca Covishield vaccine’s effectiveness is believed to be between 62% to 90%. Astra-Zeneca figures might seem lower to many, but the fact suggests that no person has shown any severe allergic reaction till date. And no person was hospitalized or became seriously ill with COVID-19 after getting the jabs of Oxford vaccine. Basically, they all work efficiently. Otherwise, these vaccines wouldn’t have been approved by most countries in the world. How these Vaccines are made – The Pfizer and Moderna ones are RNA vaccines made up of tiny fragments of the virus’ genetic code surrounded by a bubble of fat. When it's in the body, it starts to create the spike protein of the coronavirus. The body recognizes this is happening and makes antibodies and T-cells to fight the virus off. This means the next time the person encounters the virus for real, and they’ve already got everything they need to protect the body. On the other hand, the Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine uses a different approach. They’ve taken a version of the common cold virus that used to infect chimpanzees, altered it, so it does not infect people. And then added a genetic code of the COVID-19. Once the vaccine is inside the body, it starts producing the coronavirus spike protein, and similarly, like Pfizer and Moderna, the immune system recognizes this and acts. Storage and Transport – The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius. It is sent out in special boxes surrounded by dry ice to freezer farms, where it can be kept for up to 6 months. It can then be stored in a normal fridge for up to 5 days before being given to the people. The process is similar for the Moderna vaccine, but it only requires to be kept in a regular freezer at around -20 degrees Celsius. The Oxford vaccine though, only needs to be kept in a regular fridge, which means it's easier and affordable to move around than the other two. These three vaccines are generally not up against each other; they are all going to play key roles when it comes to ending the coronavirus pandemic.

https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1359604268609773569

Moreover, the Canadian Prime Minister has also reached out to the Indian Prime Minister to obtain vaccines. It is noteworthy to mention that India is the world leader in the production of the COVID-19 vaccine, and it is steadily donating the COVID-19 vaccine to most of the countries around the world.

https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1359546935586287619

Covishield, a vaccine of Oxford Astra-Zeneca, is considered the most effective, travel-friendly and safe vaccine to tackle the global pandemic crisis.