How the Covid-19 vaccine works. After ten days, we are protected from the virus.

It is administered in two doses, 21 days apart. The entire procedure takes no more than thirty minutes. The risk of side effects is negligible.

di |
How the coronavirus vaccine works

HOW THE COVID-19 VACCINE WORKS

How does the Covid-19 vaccine work ? When should it be taken, and when does it protect against risk? Are there any risks of allergies and side effects, and what are they? The fight against Covid-19 worldwide has entered a new phase, with great expectations raised by vaccination campaigns. Therefore, it's important to understand all the details we can consider established so far.

READ ALSO: Covid-19 Variant, Too Much Unnecessary Alarmism. Vaccines Are Safe and Physiologically Mutated

HOW THE COVID-19 VACCINE WORKS

The European patent. The vaccine, in its first formulations (Pfizer and BioNTech), which will be followed by others, has received the European patent for administration. On the website of the AIFA, the Italian Medicines Agency, all citizens can find information and clarifications on the drug's efficacy, the tests it has passed, and, above all, how the vaccine works.

How it works. Called "Comirnaty," the vaccine enables the body to protect itself. It uses a molecule called RNA, which contains the instructions for producing the Spike protein. And if the vaccinated person comes into contact with SARS-CoV-2, their immune defenses will be able to effectively protect the body under attack.

Who can get vaccinated. The vaccine to prevent Covid-19 can be administered to people aged 16 and over. At a later date, according to agreements between the EMA (European Medicines Agency) and the vaccine manufacturers, trials will also begin on children and adolescents under 16. Pregnant women, however, must decide after consulting with their doctor.

The vaccination sequence is very clear: we'll start with healthcare workers, certainly the group most at risk of infection, and then move on to seniors over 80. From there, we'll proceed by age group, gradually decreasing, knowing that Italy will receive 26 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine alone in 2021, with a 16-year use authorization. As we move down the age groups, priority will increasingly be given to people with chronic diseases.

Where to get vaccinated. Vaccine distribution, thanks to the Army's collaboration, will take place from the center to the periphery, that is, the regions. From there, it will reach 220 hospitals nationwide. Each vaccinated person will be subject to a rigorous registration process: when they received the dose and who received the shot.

Vaccination time. Each vaccination, including the injection, administration, and informed consent, takes about 30 minutes. And each vial of the Pfizer vaccine contains five doses in the form of a powder that needs to be diluted.

How is the vaccine administered? Two injections are given into the upper part of the muscle, 21 days apart.

When protection kicks in. The serum appears capable of offering protection as early as ten days after the first dose, and this is certainly excellent news. This is also confirmed by a document published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . This means that, if the vaccination campaign maintains the promised pace, millions of people in Italy will be protected within a few months.

Allergy cases. No serious allergic reactions have been reported so far. However, anyone getting the vaccine should consult with a doctor to determine if they are allergic to any of the substances contained in the vaccine. In this case, it's best to wait. In practice, like all vaccines, the Covid-19 vaccine should always be administered under medical supervision. And not on a do-it-yourself basis.

Side effects. Those found in the various tests, which showed the vaccine to be more than 95 percent effective, are all considered insignificant. Some headaches, mild fever, mild nausea, muscle and joint pain. These side effects affected one in a thousand vaccinated people.

How long does protection last? This is a point on which there is no scientific evidence. And mass vaccination, as soon as possible, will also help resolve this issue. Vaccinated individuals, as part of the clinical trial, will be monitored for two years following the jab, precisely to determine with scientific certainty how long the protection against Covid-19 lasts.

The poorest are left behind. This is the true black hole in the global vaccination plan. The world is truly split in two, with enormous waste of resources and severe discrimination against the poorest countries . In fact, in developed nations, if all the vaccines awaiting approval by public authorities are approved, doses equivalent to three times the population of these countries will be available in 2021. Instead, according to data collected by the People's Vaccine Alliance , in 70 poor nations, only one in ten people will be able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine by 2021. This injustice will, as usual, hit the most disadvantaged, but given that this is a virus circulating rapidly across the world, it could reduce the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns even in nations that have stocked up on large quantities of Covid-19 vaccines.

CORONAVIRUS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Want to see a selection of our news?

Don't Waste