Local health experts answer key questions about Covid vaccine

A panel of Covid-19 experts at the University of Leeds have helped answer some of the questions you might have around the vaccine and the future of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Cath Noakes is a member of the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and has expertise in airborne infection, ventilation and fluid dynamics.

Nicola Stonehouse is a professor in molecular virology, and has expertise in virus replication and virus-like particle vaccines.

Stephen Griffin is an associate professor with expertise in viral oncology and antivirals – his past work has covered both the Zika virus and the hepatitis C virus.

Mark Harris is a professor of virology, with an expertise in RNA viruses and virus replication, His past work has covered antiviral drug development.

Stephen Griffin, Mark Harris (all three have expertise with particular viruses, but have talked frequently to media about Covid-19).

What follows is 18 questions that were given to the panel, that we felt you might want answering about the vaccine, which is being rolled out in West Yorkshire.

It has taken less than a year from work on the vaccine beginning to its approval for use. How has it been completed so quickly?

Nicola Stonehouse: “Firstly, a lot of work was done before the beginning of this year on related vaccines that was translated into the current pandemic. And secondly, because all the stages of vaccine development that normally take a lot of time were compressed. So instead of doing a series of individual steps, it was possible to overlap all the steps and get to the end point, much, much more quickly.”

Have the safety checks and requirements been less vigorous as a result?

NS: “Absolutely not. The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) reviewed all of the data and is very confident – and therefore we must also be confident – that everything was done as it should have been.”

How does the approved vaccine work?

NS: “Conventional vaccines contain either inactive viruses or fragments of that virus, which in turn triggers an immune response within the body. For this new vaccine, the novelty is that it acts as the blueprint for making fragments of the virus.

“After we are given the vaccine, it enables the body to make a little bit of the virus – a safe part of the virus – one of the little spikes that we see on images. This primes the immune system so we generate antibodies and activate other parts of the immune system to this safe little bit of protein. If we then later come across the virus SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19), our immune system is primed and we have antibodies ready and waiting so we don’t get infected. As such, the new vaccine uses our cells as ‘factories’ to make the material to prime the immune system.”

What are the benefits to getting vaccinated?

NS: “If you get vaccinated, the chances of coming down with Covid-19 are very, very, very low. There’s a benefit to the individual and there’s also a benefit to the population.

“The more people who are vaccinated (along with people who have already had the virus and may therefore be protected), the more protection will be provided to some of those vulnerable people in society who are not vaccinated – that’s herd immunity. There are some people who won’t get vaccinated, and some people who can’t have the vaccination for medical reasons. So it’s really important that as many people as possible get vaccinated in the country, and indeed in the world, so that we can protect everyone.

“And what about the risks? Nothing is risk-free, but the benefits by far outweigh the risks.”

There have already been some reports of serious allergic reactions. Does it mean this vaccine is more dangerous to have than others like MMR or the regular flu vaccine?

NS: “Absolutely not. The people who had allergic reactions – and I would say they are allergic reactions rather than serious allergic reactions – had similar reactions to other vaccines. This means that, from the data that we have at the moment, this vaccine is no more dangerous or risky in terms of having an allergic reaction than other vaccines. I would urge everyone to get vaccinated.”

Is there a chance that longer-term side effects not apparent from the trials could emerge?

Stephen Griffin: “Our experience of the great many vaccines that have been licensed in the past is that side effects usually occur within the first few months of being vaccinated; these are almost universally mild. It is theoretically possible that we might see very rare (eg seen in fewer than one in 100,000 or a million people) issues as vaccines are rolled out amongst the population, and these may be in the longer term.

“However, the Pfizer trial was one of the biggest ever phase three studies (a new medicine’s final-stage trial designed to assess its effectiveness and possible side effects), so we can be as confident as possible that such events will be extremely rare, if they occur at all.”

Should I be more worried about potential side effects or contracting Covid-19?

SG: “Absolutely 100 percent contracting Covid, without doubt. The vaccine appears to be incredibly safe, whereas SARS-CoV-2 is a potentially deadly virus infection.

“Whilst the severity generally increases with age or certain health conditions, it is perfectly capable of causing severe, long term, or even deadly disease in anyone. Moreover, being vaccinated is an act of altruism and should help protect others as well as yourself.”

Is the vaccine being used to track people? Does it include a microchip?

SG: “There is no evidence to support claims such as this, nor is it clear why it would be desirable. Many of us are already traceable via our mobile phones, plus if anyone was motivated to do this, surely they’d choose the universal vaccines we all receive as children? Lastly, as the safety and contents of medicines are assessed via an incredibly vigorous process on a batch-by-batch basis: there is simply no way any manufacturer could achieve this aim. I would consign conspiracies such as this to where they belong – very bad movie plots.”

How long will people who get vaccinated have immunity? 

SG: “This is something that we simply don’t know yet, but which of course is under urgent investigation. We do know the steady state of protective antibodies can wane over time following natural infection with SARS-CoV-2, potentially leaving us vulnerable to re-infection as we see with seasonal (common cold type) coronaviruses, and this has been documented in rare cases.

“However, we would hope that vaccine responses will last longer, plus you avoid having to get potentially very unwell to achieve them.”

Could it end up being necessary every year like the normal flu jab?

SG: “Yes, this a possibility. A lot depends on how long the response to the vaccine lasts and whether or not the vaccines prevent us potentially being infected without symptoms and still passing the virus on to others. In both instances, we would definitely need to give boosters to those most vulnerable to severe Covid-19.”

What happens if someone doesn’t go back for their second jab?

SG: “It is likely that the response you’ll make to the vaccine will be sub-optimal, or not last anywhere near as long if you don’t have the second jab. The second jab is important for ensuring that the “memory” of your immune response is robust, and it is this that will protect you from disease in the future.”

Once someone has been vaccinated, can they still spread the virus?

Cath Noakes: “This is not known yet and will be an important thing to study as the vaccine is rolled out. For now we should assume that people could still spread the virus and keep taking precautions.”

Mark Harris: “We do not know the answer yet and will be an important thing to study as the vaccine is rolled out. It is possible that people who are vaccinated will be protected from disease, but could still spread the virus.”

Some people are saying getting the jab means life goes back to normal. Are they right?

MH: “Not immediately. Even if you are vaccinated you could still be spreading the virus and thus be a risk to others who have not yet been vaccinated. However, it is certainly a step towards resuming normal life for the population as a whole.”

What’s the point in getting vaccinated if you still have to follow social distancing and other measures?

CN: “It will take quite a long time for enough people in society to be vaccinated and so the measures are still going to be important until this is achieved.

MH: “Even if you are vaccinated you could still be spreading the virus and thus be a risk to others who have not yet been vaccinated. It will take quite a long time to build up to enough people in society who are vaccinated (herd immunity) and so the measures are still going to be important to prevent transmission until this is achieved.”

What proportion of the population will need to be vaccinated for it to have an impact on the prevalence of Covid-19 cases?

MH: “It is thought that at least 60 percent of people need to be vaccinated to establish herd immunity and thereby reduce the prevalence of disease and virus transmission. Given that some groups of people will be unable to be vaccinated (eg immunosuppressed people) and the vaccine has at best 90 percent effectiveness, this means that everyone who can get the vaccine should do so.”

Will we be living with this virus forever or could it eventually be eradicated?

MH: “We expect that this virus will become one of the large number of viruses circulating in the human population, like the other coronaviruses that cause common colds. However, immunity and prior exposure to the virus will limit its spread. At the moment it is new and thus very few people have immunity – vaccination will help to build up that immunity at a population level (herd immunity).”

Where can people who have doubts access reliable information about the vaccine and the pandemic?

MH: “The Science Media Centre (www.sciencemediacentre.org) has comprehensive coverage of COVID-19 including expert commentaries on lots of aspects of the pandemic, such as vaccines.

“Dr Lucy Thorne at University College London has also put together a great guide for non-scientists to SARS-CoV-2 (the scientific name for the virus that causes Covid-19) SARS2-CoV-2 factfile (ucl.ac.uk).