Australian citizens have been lining up to get their share of Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, and Moderna. The big question on everyone’s mind is which COVID vaccine is best for me?
With upcoming lockdowns and no signs of a decrease in daily infection numbers, vaccination seems to be the only hope of lifting restrictions and returning life to the accepted normal — or might this be the new normal?
Which COVID vaccine?
On August 9, the Morrison government announced they had secured another 25 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, with roughly half of them expected to arrive before Christmas.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has also announced it has given provisional approval for the Moderna vaccine for Australians aged 18 and over. So which COVID vaccine is best for you: Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, or Moderna?
According to unverified statistics, death rates still remain quite low for those who have been fully vaccinated.
In most studies, it has been proven that a single dose of any vaccine was found to provide hardly any protection.
Studies show that patients need two doses for significantly more protection against the delta variant.
Recently, new data from the Israeli Ministry of Health shows that the vaccine’s effectiveness did decline after six months.
As a result, the company, Pfizer, said that they are now in the process of developing a third dose of the COVID vaccine, which will act as a booster against the delta variant.
According to the trial’s results, the third dose produced five times more antibodies against the delta variant in people 18 to 55 years old, and 11 times more antibodies in people 65 to 85 years old.
The study is awaiting peer review.
Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine is also testing whether a third dose is beneficial.
Possible side effects
The side effects of Moderna and Astra Zeneca vaccines are similar to those of the Pfizer vaccine and include pain in the arm when the shots are administered along with things like tiredness, muscle pain, fever, and chills. There are also extremely rare reports of myocarditis. This is where there is a minor swelling of the heart.
A statement made by a top scientist at WHO suggests “vaccines might be dangerous.”
The European Medicines Agency says that the side effects were more common in younger men and shortly after the second dose of the vaccine.
Other side effects include chest pains, breathlessness, and a pounding or fluttering heart.
With Astra Zeneca, there is an additional risk of rare side effects like blood clots and low levels of blood platelets.
According to medical statistics from Australia, these side effect symptoms have occurred between 4 and 42 days post-vaccination.
Blood clots can occur in different parts of the body, such as the brain.
Watch the video below to get a more in-depth comparison between the Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
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