In the post-epidemic generation that coexists with the virus, people are gradually getting used to the news that someone has been diagnosed from time to time. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved two next-generation BA.5 vaccines, which have product many people hesitate to take the new generation vaccine, especially now the new generation vaccines also have different brands and viral strains. How to choose? The family doctor stressed: “If people have not been diagnosed so far, it is recommended that they take the next generation vaccine for protection.”
What types of “next generation vaccines” are there?
With the unblocking of borders and the rapid flow of mutant strains, vaccine diversification may gradually become a trend. Currently, next-generation domestic vaccines can be divided into the following categories:
- Modena next generation (original strain + BA.1) : The “supplementary dose” vaccination is foreseen, open to anyone over 12 years old, and must be at least 12 weeks after the previous one.
- Modena next generation (original strain + BA.4 / 5): It is expected that there will be the possibility to play after 11/18.
- BNT next generation (original strain + BA.4 / 5): It is expected that there will be the possibility to play after 11/18.
Three reasons for the waning enthusiasm for next-generation vaccination
Although BA.1 is currently not popular internationally, studies have shown that the neutralizing antibody titer produced by the next generation BA.1 vaccine is close to 1.7 times that of the vaccine’s prototype strain and is still higher than the vaccine prototype of the strain. As the command center previously announced that people over the age of 12 can be vaccinated, but the vaccination situation is not as active as expected, Xu Shenglun, a family doctor at Wanfang Hospital, has three reasons for the clinical observation:
- Many people feel they don’t need to be vaccinated after diagnosis
- Moderna’s next generation vaccine is currently open for vaccination and some people think the side effects are too strong and are reluctant to use it
- The elderly think they have already received many vaccines in the past year and are reluctant to take 2-3 full doses of vaccines
So why is the next generation vaccine needed? The team from the National Taiwan University School of Public Health has repeatedly mentioned in the “New Crown Epidemic Prevention Science Park” that regardless of the age of the ethnic group, protection against vaccination will begin to decline at different times and is particularly concerned that the protection of ethnic groups over the age of 65 will drop to 50,% below.
Which next-generation vaccine, BA.5 or BA.1, is better? How to choose?
Furthermore, Taiwan reached its peak in May of this year and the effectiveness of the vaccine produced at that time gradually declined after six months. Xu Shenglun, family medicine doctor at Wanfang Hospital, said: “From the point of view encouraging the administration, the most important thing is to lay the groundwork first. After the agent is finished, the additional agent is used. for added protection. “
How to choose the new generation BA.5 and BA.1 vaccines? As the next generation of BA.5 is aimed at the BA.5 virus, there is no doubt that BA.5 will be better than BA.1 in terms of clinical data. Xu Shenglun believes, “The BA.5 vaccine has a chance to be available later this month, and I want to be vaccinated at this stage. 2019-nCoV people may consider waiting, but for those planning to go abroad in the near future, the BA.1 vaccine may be prioritized to achieve complete protection as soon as possible.
Only the outside world is more concerned that the next-generation BA.5 has not gone through a relatively comprehensive and long-term clinical trial. Considering the side effects, there are more doubts. Although in theory, the occurrence of vaccine side effects is related to the adjuvant used in the vaccine and the next generation vaccine design adjuvant does not. If it is modified too much, the side effects will be close to the original Moderna vaccine strain. Xu Shenglun also noted: “The new generation Modena vaccine has a little more side effects than the original vaccine. Some patients are fine with the vaccine. original dose, but the next generation vaccine willfever, the rate of side effects is relatively high, but from the foreign statistics, the new generation vaccine is also mainly due to pain and fever at the injection site. “
Is there a difference between Moderna and BNT’s new generation vaccines?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Taiwanese Food and Drug Administration both agree with Moderna and BNT’s next-generation BA.5 vaccine. Xu Shenglun stressed: “The effectiveness of the two vaccine brands will not be too different, but there are only two differences.”
- collateral effect: Statistically, Modena’s somatosensory side effects may be slightly greater than those of BNT, but there is no difference for groups that have previously played with the Modena general vaccine without severe side effects.
- Age approved: Currently, new generation BNT certified children and adolescents between 5 and 18 years can also use it, but the dosage will be adjusted, while Modena is currently certified for groups over 6 years of age.
Basically, both are effective vaccines. People don’t need to be too entangled with the brand. Xu Shenglun strongly suggested: “If people who have not been diagnosed so far, they must get the next generation vaccine, because in the past, the original strain vaccine protected the variant strain. The body’s immune cells do not have a good memory of cells similar to the Omicron virus “.
The new generation vaccines can still be vaccinated three months after recovery
Especially now the most common question is whether to fight after diagnosis and recovery? Xu Shenglun suggested: “If the recovery time has exceeded three months, you can still consider the role of vaccination.” Since BA.1 was actually popular in May and June of this year, the new generation BA.5 vaccine was added at this time, regardless of infection prevention or severe disease, some degree of protection exists.
The command center also said a few days ago that it had ordered 600,000 doses of the BA.5 vaccine from Moderna, and it is expected to arrive in early November. Spokesman Zhuang Renxiang confirmed: “The next-generation vaccine will arrive this week and, as the inspection and sealing times have been reduced to seven days, it can be used as soon as possible before the election.”
In addition to developing next-generation vaccines for mRNA vaccines, including high-end and NOVAVAX, which are still vaccinated in clinical trials, a variety of vaccines also allow people to have more choices for their vaccines.
1. Consult an expert:Xu Shenglun, attending physician, Department of Family Medicine, Wanfang Hospital
Text, Wang Qianling / Photo, Wu Junjun
Further reading
Is the next generation BA.1 vaccine effective against BA.5? Does taking four doses of the vaccine in a row cause “vaccine fatigue?” Doctor responds once
Undecided whether to get the next-generation vaccine! National Taiwan University Gongwei mentions three key items not to be missed
Everyone reacts differently to vaccines! How do you know if your antibody strength is high?
