Coronavirus Vaccines - Glimmer of Hope

Dr. Rabin Man Shakya

(A Nepali journalist in USA)

As of early February 2021, the US has seen over 27 million positive coronavirus cases, with over 450,000 deaths. Globally, there has been over 105 million cases, with over 2.3 million deaths. It has been over one year since the first case of coronavirus was found in the US, which was in January 2020 in Washington state when a man returned from Wuhan, China where the virus had been ongoing since December 2019. In this one year, the world has undergone unprecedented suffering and loss of life. But at the end of that year, there was a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a vaccine. 

In December 2020, there were two vaccines approved for emergency authorization, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine. Both vaccines require getting two shots, with the recommendation of getting the Pfizer vaccine 21 days apart and the Moderna vaccine 28 days apart. Pfizer vaccine is recommended for people ages 16 and up, while Moderna vaccine is recommended for people 18 and up. Both are mRNA vaccines, which according to the CDC, "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."

Since the vaccine distribution started in mid December, about 36 million doses of the vaccines have been administered, for a total of 8.7% of the total US population, according to data collected by the CDC. Among those, 8.3 million people have received both doses in the US. Now, the US has reached up to 1.3 million shots daily. While in Oregon, so far over 509,000 doses of vaccines have been administered, with over 389,000 people receiving their first vaccine, and over 118,000 people receiving both doses. 

In the last couple of weeks, the vaccine shortage and difficulty in scheduling has been apparent all over the US. By the end of January 2021, everyone in phase 1A and 1B are eligible for a vaccine. This includes: health care workers, first responders, long term care residents, K-12 educators and school staff and childcare providers. 

Groups currently eligible to receive the vaccines in Oregon (picture taken from covidvaccine.oregon.gov).

However, scheduling to receive the first dose has been difficult. Oregon does have an online tool that allows eligible residents to sign up to receive the vaccine, which is currently being scheduled at the Oregon Convention Center. The link for this is: covidvaccine.oregon.gov (then scroll down to Vaccine Eligibility & FAQ Tool, and click Let's Get Started to check eligibility and the schedule at the Convention Center). As of right now, individual states are receiving weekly vaccine allocations from the federal government based on the total adult population of the state. 

After clicking on Let's get started, a chat box will open and you answer questions to determine eligibility.

Each state decides how to vaccinate its residents, whether through county health offices, hospital systems, mass vaccination sites, mobile clinics and hopefully soon pharmacies as well. After many weeks of trying to find and schedule an appointment, yesterday I was lucky enough to receive the first dose. I got the first dose of Moderna vaccine provided by Multnomah County Health Department, and the 2nd dose hopefully in four to seven weeks. While it is recommended that the 2nd dose be given in four weeks from the first one for the Moderna vaccine, I was told there that the vaccines will be effective if received even seven weeks apart, or possibly more time. 

Getting the vaccine!

Well, judging by the social media posts, a number of Nepalese community members in Portland have already got the first shots of the coronavirus vaccine. Still, a big majority of Nepalese in Oregon have yet to be vaccinated.

The mass vaccination program of Multnomah County Health Department was very efficient and well-coordinated and a big kudos to them. The whole arrangement was superb, the volunteers were very friendly. Additionally bottled water and snacks were given too. 

The coronavirus vaccination will help protect you from getting the virus. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may feel like flu and may even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. You may feel pain and swelling on the arm where you got the shot. Likewise, there may be fever, chills, tiredness and headache.

It takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination. Coronavirus vaccines that require 2 shots may not protect you until a week or two after your second shot.

Coronavirus is still taking its toll in the world population. New variants of the coronavirus are emerging. Getting the vaccine is one step of protection against the coronavirus. We will still need to continue following pandemic guidelines such as wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands frequently, avoiding crowds and using sanitizers. 

One thing is sure, the coronavirus vaccine will reduce virus transmission and will curb the spread of the coronavirus. The future does appear more positive with other pharmaceutical juggernauts like Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and more are working very hard for vaccine approval in the coming weeks. 

The new Biden administration is seriously working out plans and devising strategies to curb the spread of the virus, something not very much cared by the previous administration. Biden has announced a goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office. His administration is currently working on a deal to purchase an additional 200 million doses from both Pfizer and Moderna, with the plan to deliver them by the end of summer 2021. With mass vaccination programs going on in the US and other countries, there is a glimmer of hope that the coronavirus will be contained in a couple of years.