Four COVID-19 vaccines have received authorization from the Indian Government so far: Covishield’s, Covaxin’s, Sputnik’s and Moderna’s.
But a fourth, developed by Moderna, could soon be distributed domestically—and it could bolster India’s immunization effort as much as it has the global one.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is 94% effective against symptomatic coronavirus infections and 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and severe disease. It can be one of the best options available yet.
However, rest three vaccines can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures, meaning it could be key to reaching people in rural and underfunded areas, one of the most pressing issues in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
How does Moderna Vaccine works
Moderna works on a Messenger RNA concept. mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.” The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19.
- First, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle. Once the instructions (mRNA) are inside the immune cells, the cells use them to make the protein piece. After the protein piece is made, the cell breaks down the instructions and gets rid of them.
- Next, the cell displays the protein piece on its surface. Our immune systems recognize that the protein doesn’t belong there and begin building an immune response and making antibodies, like what happens in natural infection against COVID-19.
- At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is that those vaccinated gain this protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19.
Facts about COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines
They cannot give someone COVID-19.
- mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19.
- They do not affect or interact with our DNA in any way.
- mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic material) is kept.
- The cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA soon after it is finished using the instructions.
How do Covishield and Covaxin’s vaccines compare to Pfizer, Moderna’s, and Johnson & Johnson’s?
Storage and distribution
Johnson & Johnson’s, Covaxin’s, Sputnik’s and Covishield’s vaccines are the easiest to transport so far—they can be stored for up to six months between 36°F and 46°F, normal refrigerator temperatures. The Moderna and Pfizer options, meanwhile, must be stored at subzero temps until they’re ready to be used, at -4°F and -94°F, respectively. (mRNA tech is relatively more fragile, meaning it must be kept at much lower temperatures to remain effective and stable.)
Higher storage temperatures could make distribution much easier. “A clinic, a nursing home, or even [regional] health departments may not have freezers that can hold things at -94°F,” says Kawsar Talaat, M.D., an infectious disease doctor, vaccine researcher, and assistant professor in the department of International Health at Johns Hopkins University. Being able to use a typical fridge “allows time for distribution, allows the vaccine time to get to more rural areas, [and allows vaccines] to be kept at a clinic for a longer period of time.”
Cost
The central government has made all COVID-19 vaccines free to the public, but India still has to pay for its supply. Covishield’s vaccine is estimated to cost Indian providers about $10 per dose. Pfizer’s costs about $20 per dose, Moderna’s costs between $25 to $37 per dose, while Johnson & Johnson’s costs about $10 per dose, Forbes reports. These amounts will likely fluctuate as time goes on and the vaccines evolve. Both Sputnik and Covaxin cost between $15 to $18.
Side effects
All four vaccines’ side effects are similar, including potential injection site pain and flu-like symptoms, including fever, fatigue, headaches, and muscle soreness, which are to be expected as your immune system is primed, especially after a second dose. “Vaccines stimulate the immune system, and you do have some side effects from that,” Dr. Durbin explains. “Symptoms generally last one to two days.”
Overall efficacy
Both Sputnik and Moderna report being about 90-95% effective against COVID-19 after the second shot in clinical trials. Interim results in a real-world study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found both mRNA options were about 90% effective against SARS-CoV-2 infections. (For comparison, the annual flu shot is usually between 40 and 60% effective.) They also reduce the risk of severe illness even if you do become infected with SARS-CoV-2.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19, and 85% effective against the severe form of COVID-19 that can lead to hospitalization and death, per the FDA. The company’s phase 3 trial also reported no COVID-19-related deaths and no COVID-19 cases requiring medical intervention after 28 days in vaccinated participants.
Interim results from Covishiled’s United States trial report that the vaccine is 76% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection after two doses spaced four weeks apart; it’s 100% effective against severe illness and hospitalization. Based on a previous study, the Covishield vaccine might become even more effective with doses spaced further than four weeks apart; more research is needed to confirm the significance of this finding, however.
Covaxin also stands around between 76-80%.
Which COVID-19 vaccine is the best?
“The best vaccine is the one that’s offered the day you go in for your appointment,” says Dr. Kaushal Kant Mishra. “All of the [available] vaccines are incredibly effective. They’re all safe.”
Each vaccine that has received FDA authorization has been proven to decrease severe illness, hospitalization, and death, the worst outcomes of COVID-19. Although the Pfizer vaccine hasn’t yet been approved in India, research suggests it has those same effects in the places where it’s being distributed.
“If all you got from COVID-19 was a head cold, we wouldn’t be concerned,” Dr. Durbin says. “That’s what these vaccines are doing: They’re preventing that severe disease that is paralyzing healthcare systems around the world.”
But remember: Vaccines aren’t a silver bullet. They must be combined with masks, hand-washing, and social distancing to work as effectively as possible, per the CDC. No matter which COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to you first, you can feel confident in its ability to protect you, as long as you continue being cautious until positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are significantly reduced nationwide.
“If you can get a vaccine, get vaccinated,” Dr. Durbin says. “[Take] whatever vaccine that you can get to help us get out of this pandemic.”
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