Nepal's approval for vaccines made by AstraZeneca and Oxford

 [31Dec2020] Nepal's approval for vaccines made by AstraZeneca  and Oxford

Cobid-19 vaccine roll outs in Asia

The UK-based Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Wednesday approved the Covid-19 vaccine, manufactured by Oxford University and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, for people aged 18 and over.

NIHR, Welcome Trust and others have invested in this vaccine. A year ago, the UK allowed Pfizer vaccines. The executive head of MHRA, Dr. Joe Raine said he was happy that the vaccine had been approved and that it was approved only after a thorough evaluation of the available data. "People can get the vaccine without any fear," she said.

The vaccine is given in two doses. The second dose should be given 4 to 12 weeks after the first vaccination. MHRA recommends that those taking the first dose take the second dose as well. The vaccine requires a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius when stored and transported, which is also available in less developed countries like Nepal. It can be kept at this temperature for up to 6 months without opening the vaccine. If you have a multi-dose vaccine bottle, you can keep it at a temperature of 2 to 25 degrees Celsius after opening it. But it should be applied within 6 hours of opening the bottle.

The vaccine is believed to start working two weeks after the first dose. After the second dose, it helps to stay safe from Covid-19 for a long time. However, it is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. It is proposed to re-evaluate the vaccine after one year.

Oxford and AstraZeneca have been providing data to MHRA since September 2020 at various stages. The current approval comes after an interim analysis of data from 23,745 people in the UK, Brazil and South Africa. Of these, 90.3 percent were in the age group of 18 to 64 years and 9.7 percent were over 64 years of age. About 75.5 percent were white, 10.1 percent were black, and 3.5 percent were Asian. There were 55.8 percent women and 44.2 percent men.

Adverse reactions to the vaccine included tenderness at 60 percent of injection sites, pain at the injection site, headache and fatigue at 50 percent, muscle aches at 40 percent, mild fever at 30 percent, and joint pain and vomiting at 20 percent. Most responses were mild to moderate. He was found to have recovered within a few days of being vaccinated.

Adverse reactions in the age group of 65 years and above were very mild. Of the 2,070 (35.65 percent) people who took part in the trial, they already had at least one disease (including heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes). This indicates that the vaccine is suitable for patients with pre-existing conditions.

People who took the vaccine were monitored for an average of 132 days after the first dose and 63 days after the second dose. As a result, there is not enough evidence to show how long vaccines can last.

The vaccine is recommended to be given 0.5 ml intramuscularly in each dose. The study is still ongoing due to lack of data on its effectiveness and safety in the age group of 65 years and above. Similarly, people under 18 years of age and pregnant women do not have sufficient evidence regarding its effectiveness and safety.

Scientists are convinced that the vaccine will also work on a new variant (VUI-2012/01). The vaccine will be available in the UK from January 4, 2021. The Serum Institute is also developing the vaccine in India. The vaccine is expected to receive emergency approval this week.

Most of the developed countries of the world are vying to secure more and more vaccines only for the citizens of their countries. At such times, it is important for bodies such as the World Health Organization to speak out in favor of developing or poor countries, and for those countries to speak out in unison. Oxford and AstraZeneca have decided to make the vaccine universal, with a focus on nonprofit and liberal global access. Their move is welcome.