In the fight against COVID -19, any significant vaccine is highly critical to addressing the global health crisis. This is because COVID vaccines help to decrease the rates of infection, disease and death worldwide. Pfizer and BioNTech utilized decades of scientific expertise to develop the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID – 19 Vaccine. Thereby, made efforts to make it available as quickly and safely as possible. While still there are a lot of discussions going on about what is the difference between covishield and covaxin, amidst this scenario, Pfizer vaccine has made an entry. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended to be given to people who are 12 years of age and older.
At present, there is a continuous evaluation going on regarding the vaccine trial even in pregnant women and children under 12. As per reports, there are also several studies going on to evaluate the potential need for boosters or vaccine due to the recent emerging variants.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has not been licensed yet by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But, it has been especially authorized for emergency use by FDA to prevent COVID-19, for use in individuals 12 years of age and older. The emergency use is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist. Thereby, justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&C Act. This will be followed unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner.
How Well the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Works?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 95% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed infection (based on evidence from clinical trials in people 16 years and older) in people who received two doses and had no evidence of being previously infected with the COVID-19 disease.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has also proven to be highly effective at providing safeguard against COVID-19 infection in children between 12 – 15 years old. And, the immune response in adolescents was at least as strong as the immune response in elder people.
It is said that the vaccine is highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infection amongst people belonging to a diverse age, sex, and ethnicity Also, amongst people with underlying medical conditions. According to the evidence, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines offer similar protection in real-world conditions as in the clinical trial settings.
Common Side Effects of Pfizer Biontech COVID Vaccine
There can be some side effects of the vaccine such as pain, redness and swelling in the area where you received vaccination. And, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, nausea throughout the rest of your body. These side effects start showing within a day or two of getting the vaccine. According to the doctors, these are normal signs which indicate that your body is building protection. These symptoms should gradually go away within a few days.
According to the researches, there can be severe allergic reaction after a dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech). However, the overall side effects might differ from one to another person.
Is It Safe to Take the COVID Vaccine?
It is safe to take COVID vaccine. There are certain steps taken to make sure the COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Here are some of the steps:-
- Careful testing -All COVID vaccines go through clinical trials to test safety and effectiveness. It is important to note that for COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA set high safety standards for vaccine developers to meet.
- Authorization for emergency use– When a vaccine is needed to address an emergency situation such as the coronavirus pandemic, the FDA can grant it an emergency use authorization, or EUA. It allows a vaccine or medication to be used before the formal FDA approval.
- Regular monitoring for problems and side effects– After a COVID vaccine gets approval, it becomes the responsibility of the FDA to observe its effectiveness carefully.
Should I Get Vaccinated After Having COVID?
You can consider getting your immunisation even after you have had COVID. It will certainly give a boost to your immune system. Additionally, it might help to continue to protect yourself and people around potentially for a longer period of time. It will offer much more immunity than your natural immunity would have provided without the extra vaccine doses.
There is a possibility that some people who might be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will still develop COVID-19 illness. Yet, if we look at it largely, COVID-19 vaccines are effective. So, you must get vaccinated to prevent yourself from the spread of the disease and its harmful effects.
Who Should Not Get Vaccinated?
- Those who had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction should not take this vaccine. You should note that even if it was not severe, to any ingredient in an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (such as polyethylene glycol), you should not get either of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
- If you suffered from a severe or immediate allergic reaction after getting the first dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get a second dose of either of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
If there is an immediate allergic reaction which includes symptoms such as hives, swelling, or respiratory distress, vaccination may be delayed. A severe allergic reaction case needs to be treated with epinephrine or with proper medical care.
Before injecting a vaccine, doctors consider the history of an immediate allergic reaction to any other vaccine or injectable therapy.
To learn more about common side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and precautions after covid vaccine, visit a doctor.
For more information regarding the COVID vaccine and you can also book Covid vaccination in Hyderabad.
