The current pandemic has pushed the health system to new heights -- even coming up with vaccines in less than a year's time! Vaccines play a pivotal role in bringing us back to a conducive situation. As of writing this article (July 25th, 2021), Indonesia’s National Food and Drug Agency (BPOM) has authorized the usage of five different vaccines from different manufacturers all over the world and also has started a national vaccination program in hopes of a quick and effective road to herd immunity. In this article, we’ll be diving into the details, backgrounds, and everything else that you need to know about these covid vaccines.
Before we move on further, here’s a crash course on the different types of vaccines and how they work: Most vaccines contain weakened or practically dead parts of the organism (antigen) that you want to be immunized against. These vaccines are called inactivated vaccines. Nowadays, a newer type of vaccine called an mRNA vaccine contains a so-called “blueprint” that essentially teaches your body to create the antigen itself to immunize you against it. Another type of vaccine known as a viral vector vaccine uses a vector (a harmless virus) that will produce a harmless piece of the virus inside your body and teach your body to “fight” against it. Whichever type it is, they all have the same purpose: to immunize you against the virus, so don’t worry too much about it!
Okay, so now that you know the various types of covid vaccines, we can now introduce you to the different brands of vaccines. Let’s start with the world’s most used vaccine: CoronaVac (or widely known as Sinovac). CoronaVac is a two-dose vaccine manufactured by Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company based in China. It has an efficacy rate of around 50% to 79% based on the results of clinical trials from all around the world. Currently, it is the only vaccine in Indonesia that is approved to be used for citizens as young as 12 years old. Its common side effects after receiving a dose include (but are not limited to) pain on injection site, mild fatigue, muscle pain, and diarrhea. A Fun fact: CoronaVac is the vaccine that President Joko Widodo (who’s in fact the first person in Indonesia to be vaccinated) had received. However, there have been questions raised by the public regarding its effectiveness since the rise of delta variant cases among most workers in the healthcare sector despite being vaccinated with both doses of the CoronoVac vaccine. But fear not, as epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan reports to Reuters that researchers find Chinese vaccines somewhat effective in reducing the severity of symptoms caused by the Delta variant. In addition to that, a study by Prof. Dr. apt. Zullies Ikawati -- Head of the Doctoral Program in Pharmacy Science at Gadjah Mada University -- states that even if its efficacy rate is lower than other vaccines, it can help prevent 5.6 million cases of infection, which, if you think about it, is a really big deal! If you’re still not too sure, you could also take booster shots as suggested by Sinovac’s spokesperson, Liu Pei Cheng. However, without a first shot, boosters won’t be effective, so even one dose ofCoronaVac can at least give you and your loved ones some sort of protection!
Next up is Sinovac’s close relative, which is Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine. But BBIBP-CorV could be a mouthful, so we’ll refer to it as the Sinopharm vaccine. The Sinopharm vaccine is manufactured by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products alongside the Sinovac vaccine.The Sinopharm vaccine is an inactivated, two-dose, Chinese manufactured vaccine with an efficacy rate of 78,02%. It also has similar side effects as Sinovac, but in addition to them, people who receive the Sinopharm dose may experience coughing, headaches, and irritation in the injection site. The Sinopharm vaccine is available for adults 18 and over, but the China National Biotec Group (a subsidiary of Sinopharm) has trial data on using their vaccines on children as young as three and are considering vaccinations for children. The Sinopharm is also proven less effective against the Delta variant, CNBC Indonesia reports, but they still can offer some sort of protection. Anyway, some sort of base vaccine would be much better than none, so boosters can come after!
Another brand of vaccine is the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is one of the popular ones here in Indonesia whether it’s for its effectiveness or its controversy. The AZD1222 or AstraZeneca shot is manufactured by AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with branches all around the world. It has an overall efficacy rate of 70%.What’s interesting is that out of the five vaccines, it’s the only viral vector vaccine. Kind of like a class with an odd number of students and that last one student having to be alone during partner dances, but that’s besides the point. The vaccine is suggested to be used for adults ages 18 and above like most vaccines on our list and people who received the dose may experience tiredness; muscle and joint pain; nausea and fever; bruising tenderness; itching; and/or pain on the injection site. You’ve also probably heard about the AstraZeneca vaccine causing blood clots, but don’t worry as it is very rare for it to happen. In fact, only 1 in 50,000 people aged 18 to 49 were affected with it according to HSE’s site. Nevertheless, there have been some controversies regarding its side effects, with some even causing death. Kompas.com had reported on the death of three Indonesian citizens after receiving the AstraZeneca dose. However, the cause of death could not be investigated as they are diagnosed as dead on arrival. In addition to that, the distribution of batch CTMAV547 of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been stopped due to a report of a serious Post-Immunization Adverse Event (KIPI) which is suspected to be related to the aforementioned batch of the AstraZeneca shot. But worry not, as this shows the government’s seriousness in the quality of vaccines. And to follow up, the other batches aside from it are completely fine!
Our next vaccine is called the BNT162b2 vaccine or more commonly known as the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is manufactured by BioNTech -- a German biotechnology company -- in collaboration with Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company. Thus the name of the vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech. The Pfizer vaccine is currently available for citizens 18 and up, but clinical trials have been run in Indonesia to confirm that it is safe for children as young as 12 years old and it seems like Pfizer will make the cut! After getting your Pfizer dose, you may experience more or less the same side effects with the other vaccines like nausea, injection-site pain, tiredness, headaches, chills, joint pain, and fever. Do note that these side effects occur more often after your second dose than after your first dose. The Pfizer vaccine shares one thing in common with the Moderna vaccine, which is being an RNA vaccine. Although there are a few cases saying that the vaccine is much less effective against the Delta variant, it is still a good vaccine to get, as its effectiveness rate is great to start with, reaching up to 95% according to mayoclinic.org. So go and get yours!
Last but not least is the Moderna Vaccine. The mRNA-1273 vaccine is manufactured by Moderna Inc., an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. The Moderna dose is an mRNA, two-dose vaccine that’s suggested for citizens 18 and above. If you receive this dose, you may experience symptoms similar to other vaccine brands, including: nausea, headaches, chills, muscle pain, fever, injection-site pain. This vaccine has an efficacy rate of 94.1%, according to the World Health Organization. The vaccine is prioritized for health workers as boosters to increase their immunity against the virus considering their risky routines meeting covid patients almost on a daily basis. Well, that’s all you have to know about Moderna!
Now that I’ve given you an overview of the vaccines currently available in Indonesia, it is now your turn to take part and get vaccinated. Whichever vaccine you get, just keep in mind that they all are to immunize you from covid. At this point, we all have to get vaccinated together. We all surely miss being with our loved ones, don’t we? So, what are you waiting for? If you haven’t got vaccinated, go and sign up for your dose as soon as possible! Because, you know, cool kids go and get vaccinated… Are you a cool kid?
Sources for extended reading:
Ugm.ac.id. 2021. UGM Expert: Having An Efficacy Rate of 65.3 Percent, Sinovac Vaccine Remains Safe | Universitas Gadjah Mada. [online] Available at: <https://www.ugm.ac.id/en/news/20611-ugm-expert-having-an-efficacy-rate-of-65-3-percent-sinovac-vaccine-remains-safe> [Accessed 26 July 2021].
the Guardian. 2021. Indonesian Covid deaths add to questions over Sinovac vaccine. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/indonesian-covid-deaths-add-to-questions-over-sinovac-vaccine> [Accessed 26 July 2021].
Who.int. 2021. How do vaccines work?. [online] Available at: <https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-do-vaccines-work> [Accessed 26 July 2021].
Azizah, K., 2021. Sama-sama Dipakai di Indonesia, Ini Beda Vaksin Sinopharm Vs Sinovac. [online] detikHealth. Available at: <https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-5555208/sama-sama-dipakai-di-indonesia-ini-beda-vaksin-sinopharm-vs-sinovac> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
FierceBiotech. 2021. Sinopharm claims COVID-19 vaccine safe in kids aged 3 and up. [online] Available at: <https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/sinopharm-claims-covid-19-vaccine-safe-kids-aged-3-and-up> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
Sehat Negeriku. 2021. Vaksin AstraZeneca Aman, Penghentian Sementara Hanya Pada Kelompok CTMAV547. [online] Available at: <https://sehatnegeriku.kemkes.go.id/baca/berita-utama/20210516/4837770/vaksin-astrazeneca-aman-penghentian-sementara-hanya-pada-kelompok-ctmav547/> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
HSE.ie. 2021. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine - Side effects. [online] Available at: <https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/astrazeneca/side-effects/> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
Who.int. 2021. The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine: What you need to know. [online] Available at: <https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-sinopharm-covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
Media, K., 2021. 3 Orang Meninggal Usai Divaksin AstraZeneca, Ini Penjelasan Komnas KIPI Halaman all - Kompas.com. [online] KOMPAS.com. Available at: <https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/05/21/05010061/3-orang-meninggal-usai-divaksin-astrazeneca-ini-penjelasan-komnas-kipi?page=all> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
Azizah, K., 2021. Menkes Buka Opsi Kemungkinan Vaksin Sinovac-Pfizer untuk Usia Anak dan Remaja. [online] detikHealth. Available at: <https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-5619623/menkes-buka-opsi-kemungkinan-vaksin-sinovac-pfizer-untuk-usia-anak-dan-remaja> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Moderna - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderna> [Accessed 27 July 2021].
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