JCVI expert warns booster vaccines will wear off
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Britons are in high hopes that the booster vaccine will prove a triumphant pandemic exit strategy. Its success, however, hinges on whether it manages to curtail the spread of the virus this winter. As third shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine begin making their way into arms, side effects produced by both vaccines are becoming clearer. One chart from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has illustrated how they compare.
More than a million Britons have now been contacted by the NHS to invite them for an immunisation top-up.
The campaign comes as part of the Government’s drive to build a “wall of defence” ahead of winter.
In the UK, mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna have been included in the booster dose drive.
The government website states: “These vaccines have already been given to millions of people in the UK.
READ MORE: Covid: A ‘challenging winter’ ahead as modelling shows spike in deaths – doctor’s advice
“You will be offered the right vaccine for you which may be the same or different from the vaccines that you had before.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine, however, has been sidelined following fears of rare clotting incidents.
The distribution of Covid booster vaccines is currently reserved for individuals aged over 50, healthcare workers, and those clinically vulnerable.
Boosters for these groups are being given no sooner than six months after their second dose.
New data released by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that overall, the Moderna vaccine produces the strongest side effects.
Conversely, the graphs suggest the Johnson and Johnson booster jab yields the fewest side effects, with only a quarter of recipients reporting pain at the site of infection, compared to 81 percent of those who got the Moderna booster.
Fatigue was the second most common side effect, affecting 61 percent of those who got the Moderna vaccine, and 51 percent of those who got the Pfizer booster.
Headaches and muscle aches were the third most prevalent side effects among those who received the Moderna booster, both affecting 50 percent of respondents.
Among those who received the Pfizer booster, headaches were the third most common side effect (38 percent), followed shortly by muscle aches (36 percent).
The rarest side effects encountered with all three vaccines were abdominal pain, rashes and vomiting.
Separate figures released by the CDC show fatigue is more common with a booster shot of Pfizer and Moderna, compared to the second dose of each. These findings, however, may vary across different age groups.
The data collated for the two mRNA vaccines were based on a clinical trial of 12,000 people.
The mRNA technology behind the Moderna and Pfizer jab works by introducing instructions into genetic material, called mRNA, to make the spike protein of the coronavirus.
This elicits an immune response by activating pathways that offer protection, should the virus be encountered.
When the mRNA protein degrades, the cells stop producing the spike protein, weakening immune defences.
A booster shot, however, can remind the immune system about the spike protein it had briefly encountered after previous vaccinations.
One preprint has suggested booster side effects may be more pronounced in those who have previously contracted the virus.
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