By Leshi Adebayo
Statistically, Nigeria became the third West African country to receive nearly 4million COVID-19 dosage of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on March 2, after Ghana and Ivory Coast through the international COVID-19 Vaccines Global Assess Facility (COVAX) scheme.
Currently, the Nigerian government says it has given out 3.97million dosage of the AstraZeneca vaccine with 1.42 million people fully vaccinated, since the vaccination exercise began.
Again, the government received another donation of 4million dosage of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine donated from the United States of America. This was to assist the country in battling a third wave of infections.
Also, on August 12, 2021, there was a vaccine donation of another 177,600 Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine through the African Union. According to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the J&J vaccine will be received monthly until a total of 28.9 million doses are completed.
What are these 3 brands of vaccines?
1. Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine
The Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is a viral vector vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company and given by intramuscular injection.
According to Medical News Today, the viral vector vaccine contains the gene that encodes for the spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and once delivered to the cells, the gene is transcribed, prompting our cells to make the spike protein. It is the presence of the protein that triggers the body’s immune system to produce antibodies to fight against the spike protein, which prepares the body to fight against Covid-19 should it enter the body.
The vaccine has a shelf life of six months stored in a refrigerator between 2 to 8°C and once removed from fridge, may be stored between 2 to 25°C for up to six hours.
2. Moderna Covid-19 vaccine
The Moderna COVID‑19 vaccine is codenamed mRNA-1273 and developed by Moderna, the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The Moderna is an mRNA vaccine that sends the body’s cells instructions for making a spike protein that will train the immune system to recognize it. The immune system will then attack the spike protein the next time it sees one. According to the company, the vaccine has greater than 90% efficacy against cases of COVID-19 and more than 95% against severe cases, with approximately six months median follow-up after the second dose.
3. Johnson and Johnson vaccine
Johnson and Johnson vaccine is the third vaccine to be granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drugs Administration after Pfizer and Moderna. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna however, the Johnson and Johnson, like Oxford-Astrazeneca are viral vector vaccines which use a modified, harmless version of a different virus as a vector, or carrier, to deliver immunity instructions to cells in the body. The body then follows those instructions to build an immune response to the intended virus (in this case, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.)
What are the differences between them?
There are few differences between the Moderna, J & J and AstraZeneca. All three have been granted emergency use authorization by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as approved for use in Nigeria by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
1. Being the first vaccine to be administered in Nigeria and according to a report by the BBC, Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees and has been modified to contain genetic material shared by the coronavirus – although it can’t cause the illness.
2. The moderna vaccine which the Nigerian government has began administering for the the second phase of the vaccination programme can be thawed in the refrigerator between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F) with unpunctured vials stored in the refrigerator for up to 30 days, according to the Centre for Disease Control.
The vaccine is also designed to be administered as two 0.5 mL doses given by intramuscular injection with the WHO recommending an interval of 28 days between doses. WHO states that the vaccine has an efficacy of approximately 94.1 per cent in protecting against COVID-19, starting 14 days after the first dose.
3. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires storage at 35.6 to 46.4 degrees F. According to the company, the vaccine is estimated to remain stable for two years at -4°F (-20°C) and for a maximum of three months at routine refrigeration at temperatures of 36-46°F (2 to 8°C).
Speaking on the vaccine, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, explained that the temperature for storing the J&J vaccine is similar to the way most of the Nigeria’s routine immunization vaccines are stored. A major advantage the J&J vaccine has over the other two vaccines is that it requires only a single shot making its distribution and administration easier when it comes to hard to reach areas.
According to Dubawa, Nigerian Experts such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the executive Director/CEO of The NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, National Agency fo Food, Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC) and the World Health Organisation (W.H.O) have allayed the fears of Nigerians as far as the three vaccines are concerned.
Source: Dubawa
