Re: What use vaccine now?

Hi JB the Oxford vaccine is not better, just different, it is easier to distribute and we once it gets the go ahead, we have a large amount available to us, 100 million doses.
We have a smaller amount of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, enough for 20 million people (x 2 doses) and it was originally developed and made in Belgium and now the USA.

Re: What use vaccine now?

It's easier to distribute and store because it can be kept at around 2 - 8°C, (i.e. normal domestic refrigerator temperatures) unlike both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which require specialist freezers capable of temperatures of -70/80°C.

Re: What use vaccine now?

But Percy, what else is different besides the transportation is what I want to know?

For example -
1. Would we still need two doses of the Oxford one?
2. How is the vaccine itself different?
3. Are side affects different or more/less likely?
4. Is it safer for the allergy sufferers


The transportation itself and temperature is not something us laymen have to deal with or organise, that is why I would like to know these more informative questions.

Anyone can tell us ' it's different', but that is very little help.

Re: What use vaccine now?

All the vaccines I've read about require two doses. The biontech one has the least side effects. Moderna has more. The Oxford vaccine has had a few reported side effects which have delayed trials but we don't know enough yet about allergies. With any vaccine or medication there will be people who have an allergic response, but we know how to treat allergies.


Covid uses spike proteins to get into & attack human cells. Both vaccines use genetic engineering to send a message to the cell so that it recognises these spike proteins when the real virus hits. The cell then acts to send messages to the immune system so that it's ready to attack the real virus.


The Oxford vaccine contains a genetically modified cold virus from taken from a monkey. They altered this to insert double stranded DNA gene for the spike protein from Covid.


The Biotech and Moderna vaccines use RNA modification.

DNA has two strands and is more robust than RNA which has one strand. The use of an existing virus structure also increases the stability of the Oxford vaccine by giving the injected DNA code a transport structure that won't fall apart.

The link below tells you the differences between DNA and RNA :


https://www.technologynetworks.com/g...and-rna-296719

Re: What use vaccine now?

I'm only going on what I've heard, seen and read so I have to admit I'm not exactly au fait with any of this. What I DO know is the Oxford vaccine:

- needs 2 shots like the others. For some reason the first shot should be half that of the full dose. The people involved in the vaccine's development don't understand why this is so but they are investigating.
- it is different. The developers took a different approach to the messenger RNA method used by Pfizer and Moderna. The Oxford vaccine uses a harmless weakened version of a virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Here is a link that explains it better than I could:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/d...s-b141645.html

- Don't know about side-effects because it's not been released yet although there was one case of something that caused the trials to be paused. Can't remember what that was about though.
- No good asking me about allergies.

Re: What use vaccine now?

BioNTech is a German company started by two physicians of Turkish origins.

Re: What use vaccine now?

The Chimp adenovirus is just a carrier for the DNA. It's like a trojan horse to create stability and conveniently transport the DNA to the cell.

Re: What use vaccine now?

they are a tiny research company. They partnered with Pfizer for manufacturing and distribution. Pfizer has a manufacturing base in Belgium. So developed in Germany and manufactured in Belgium.

Re: What use vaccine now?

Oh by the way in case anyone is interested the lipid nanoparticles are used to wrap the RNA in a sticky protective layer and stop it falling apart when injected. That's the reason it has to be frozen as it won't remain stable for long at room temperature. RNA is very fragile.

I've been trying to find out what material they use to produce lipid nanoparticles but no luck so far...

Re: What use vaccine now?

Hi Scott that is so, but I understood the first doses of the vaccine were developed and made in Belgium not that I think it matters where they were made just that they were made...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55181665