A COMPILATION OF KINDS OF COVID 19 VACCINES

- April 28, 2021

An Image of Corona Virus grabbed from the web

I have not yet been vaccinated with COVID 19 vaccine and in the Philippines, I believe AstraZeneca and SinoVac are the top two available vaccines while in the US, Pfizer, Moderna and J&J are the ones available. Below are "my collage" using different articles in the internet that tackles the features of a vaccine and the difference of a particular vaccine from the others. I think this will help me decide as to what I would opt to take when given a chance.

BNT162b2 — Developed by BioNTech, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer

Used technology: mRNA. The BNT162b2, also known as Pfizer Vaccine, is an RNA vaccine. That means it uses messenger RNAs (mRNA). This is a technology completely different from all vaccines created so far. In the history of humankind, no mRNA vaccine, drug, or technology platform, had ever been approved for use in humans. Most of the vaccines “train” our body to fight infections by using modified or inactive versions of the virus, or purified proteins that help our immune system to create antibodies to defeat the infection.This is not what the mRNA technology does. Instead of receiving a modified version of the virus, the patient receives genetic material that encodes the viral protein. In other words: it gives an upgrade to your genetic code. Genetic code teaches immune system how to make part of virus that triggers immune response.

AZD1222 — Developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca

Used technology: Modified chimpanzee adenovirus vector. That means the vaccine, also known as Oxford Vaccine, uses a virus originated from monkeys that have the same spike protein from the COVID-19 virus. But since this virus does not replicate in humans, it does not cause infections, only stimulating the immune response. Modified virus tells body how to make part of the virus that triggers immune response.

Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) — Developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute

Used technology: Replicating viral (adenovirus) vector. The Sputnik V uses the adenovirus (which causes the common cold) fused with the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 to stimulate an immune response. It is a very similar method to the one used by the Oxford vaccine, mentioned above.

mRNA-1273 — Developed by Moderna, NIAID, and BARDA

Used technology: mRNA. The same technology used by the Pfizer vaccine. Genetic code teaches immune system how to make part of virus that triggers immune response.

CoronaVac — Developed by Sinovac

Used technology: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2. This (inactivated virus) is the most common technology for vaccine production.

J&J vaccine

The J&J vaccine uses a different approach to instruct human cells to make the SARS-2 spike protein, which then triggers an immune response. It is what’s known as a viral vectored vaccine. A harmless adenovirus — from a large family of viruses, some of which cause common colds — has been engineered to carry the genetic code for the SARS-2 spike protein. Once the adenovirus enters cells, they use that code to make spike proteins. J&J employed this same approach to make an Ebola vaccine that has been authorized for use by the European Medicines Agency. Modified virus tells body how to make part of the virus that triggers immune response.

Novavax

Novavax works differently than the other four. Instead of teaching our bodies to create the spike protein, this vaccine already contains the spike protein, along with an “adjuvant” that triggers the body to mount a response to it. This kind of protein vaccine is quite common and is used in vaccines to fight hepatitis B, diphtheria and tetanus.

Vaccine	Type of vaccine
Oxford/AstraZeneca	Adenovirus
Pfizer/BioNTech	mRNA
J&J/Janssen	Adenovirus vector
Novavax	Protein plus adjuvant
Moderna	mRNA
GSK/Sanofi	Protein plus adjuvant
Valneva	Inactivated whole virus