Welcome back to all of our loyal Cellfie readers. Today, we have the pleasure of showcasing Aldan Joseph and Navome Gutpa's article on the Covid-19 vaccine programme which placed 3rd for their category in the international Sci4Teens writing competition. The standard of entries was incredibly high and this insightful article is a display of that.
Abstract
Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) is the severe most pandemic in the human history that has affected every nation on the face of earth. A total of 102 million cases with SARS-CoV-2 infections have been confirmed up to Feb 2nd, 2021, and 2,232,233 people have died across the world (World Health Organization 2021). The quick steps by the scientists all over the world has yielded a variety of vaccines that are clinically proven to be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As the world has little success in controlling the spread of COVID -19 the safe and effective vaccines may be the only way to get the human life back to normal.
How do the vaccines work?
Our bodies fight illness with the help of White Blood Cells (WBCs). Mainly there are three types of WBCs which work in different ways
· Macrophages are white blood cells that swallow up and digest germs and foreign invaders. The macrophages leave behind parts of the invading germs called antigens. The body will identify the antigens as dangerous and stimulates antibodies to attack them.
· B-lymphocytes are defensive white blood cells. They produce antibodies that attack the pieces of the germs left behind by the macrophages.
· T-lymphocytes are another type of defensive white blood cell. They attack cells in the body that have already been infected.
The first time a person is infected with the germ that causes the disease, it can take several days and weeks for the body to make and use all the germ-fighting tools needed to get over the infection. After the person recovers from the disease, the immune system remembers what it learned about how to protect the body against that disease. The body keeps a few T-lymphocytes, called memory cells that go into action quickly if the body encounters the same germ again (Miller and Levine, 2004). Protection by vaccination is based on this basic theory: They all stimulate a primary immune response so that body can develop memory B and T cells against the virus that causes the disease. The development of immune memory by vaccines is what will protect the person against subsequent infections (The Active Scientist, 2020).
COVID -19 Vaccines
A variety of COVID -19 vaccines are developed around the world (Nelissen, 2020; Sharma et al. 2020; Polack et al., 2020; Astho, 2020). Each COVID -19 vaccine has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Almost all the vaccines target the spike glycoprotein (S protein) of the SARS-CoV-2 causing the COVID-19 disease (Tse et al., 2020). In case a vaccine is unsafe in humans or fails to protect people against COVID -19, the world has other COVID -19 vaccines that can be used. The types of vaccines with current examples, their mechanism of action, and the company that develops the vaccine, are listed below.
Vaccination process
The entire world population is under the threat of getting infected with COVID-19. As such the vaccination process must be carefully planned and executed so that the primary goals of stopping the spread of COVID-19 and deaths due COVID-19 can be achieved quickly. All the nations of the world have made elaborate plans for COVID-19 vaccination (Centers for disease control and prevention, 2020). The main considerations for making these plans are
· Availability of the vaccine
· People who are directly exposed to the virus such as health care professionals and Nursing Home residents.
· Individuals who are having high risk medical conditions
· Essential service workers (non- Health care)
· Immunity compromised people (above 65 years of age)
All these vaccines mandates two doses which should be administered with a time gap of minimum 14 days (Centers for disease control and prevention, 2020). The first dose will create the immune memory and the second dose will cause the body to develop a secondary immune response which will result higher antibody concentrations and T cell counts to eliminate the virus quickly reducing the symptoms and severity of COVID-19 (Jarjour et al., 2020).
Conclusion
There had been no pandemic that has impacted the whole world like COVID-19- Socially, economically, religiously and even culturally. Since SARS-CoV-2 infection can be of varying degree: asymptotic to fatally infected, more research is necessary on virus characteristics and its interaction with immune system. On the same note, further studies on the immune response and long-term memory cells of the recovered patients may lead to novel design of prophylactic medications against SARS-CoV-2 and similar viruses that may evolve in the future. The severity of the situation makes it a personal responsibility for each individual to get vaccinated and join hands with the world community to eradicate this deadly virus.
References:
Astho.Org. “Pfizer-Moderna Vaccine Comparison.” Astho.Org, 13 Jan. 2021, Accessed 30 Jan., 2020. www.astho.org/COVID- 19/Pfizer-Moderna-Vaccine-Comparison.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID Data Tracker.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Mar. 2020, covid.cdc.gov/covid-data tracker/? Accessed 30 Dec., 2020. www.covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of MRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States.” Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, 2020, Accessed Jan 30.,2021 www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Interim Considerations for Phased Implementation of COVID-19 Vaccination and Sub-Prioritization Among Recommended Populations.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Dec. 2020. Accessed 30 Dec., 2020. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/phased-implementation.html
Jarjour, Nicholas N., et al. “T Cell Memory: Understanding COVID-19.” Immunity, vol. 54, no. 1, 2021, pp. 14–18. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2020.12.009.
Miller, Kenneth, and Levine Joseph. “Biology: The Immune System and Disease.”, Texas ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004, pp. 1038–42.
Nelissen, Elisa. “Which Vaccine Types Are in the Running against COVID-19?”, Ku Leuven, 09 July 2020, Translated by Michiels, Shana. Accessed 30 Dec., 2020. nieuws.kuleuven.be/en/content/2020/which-vaccine-types-are-in-the-running-against-covid-19.
Polack, Fernando P., et al. “Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 MRNA Covid-19 Vaccine.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 383, no. 27, 2020, pp. 2603–15. doi:10.1056/nejmoa2034577.
Sharma, Omna, et al. “A Review of the Progress and Challenges of Developing a Vaccine for COVID-19.” Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 11, 2020. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2020.585354.
The Active Scientist. “COVID-19 Vaccines: How Do They Work?” The Active Scientist Blog. 8 Oct. 2020, Accessed 30 Dec., 2020. www.theactivescientist.com/covid19-vaccines-work.
Tse, Longping V., et al. “The Current and Future State of Vaccines, Antivirals and Gene Therapies Against Emerging Coronaviruses.” Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 11, 2020. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00658.
World Health Organization.“Weekly Epidemiological Update - 2 February 2021.” World Health Organization, Feb. 2021, Accessed 2 Feb., 2021. www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update---2-february-2021.