Reporter : Zhu Ying / Editor : Mei Lan / Publisher : New Tang Dynasty Television
Ref : https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2020/09/24/a102948356.html / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
The covid epidemic "rebounded" in many parts of the world recently, and the public is even more looking forward to the early launch of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. At present, many countries have announced the predetermined prices for vaccines in Phase III clinical trials. Among them, the official price of the Chinese Communist Party is higher than that of European and American countries. A Hong Kong respiratory doctor told the media that even if the vaccine is officially approved for marketing, there are potential long-term side effects, and warned non-high-risk groups not to rush the vaccination.
According to a report by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post on 22 September, Beijing authorities are working to make the virus vaccine developed by the Chinese mainland market before the end of this year. Currently, two inactivated vaccines are applying for approval by the drug regulatory authority. Approved, the highest price of the vaccine will be 600 RMB (approximately 688 HK Dollars), which is higher than the predetermined price previously announced by the British and American pharmaceutical companies.
Because vaccination usually requires two shots, the average price of vaccines developed in PRC can reach 300 RMB (about 344 HK Dollars) per shot, while the initial price of vaccines developed by the American biotechnology company Moderna is about 248 to 286 HK Dollars. The vaccine price of the technology company BioNTec and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals is about 152 HK Dollars. In contrast, PRC's vaccines are the most expensive.
According to the news released by the WHO on 17 September, so far, 9 vaccines developed against SARS-CoV-2 have entered the third phase of clinical trials in the world, and may be on the market as soon as the end of this year. However, some medical experts have also issued warnings, saying that even after the completion of the third phase of the trial and approval for marketing, these vaccines may still produce some unexpected side effects. They called on the public to be cautious about vaccination.
Hong Kong respiratory specialist Lin Bing also said in an interview with the "Apple News" website a few days ago that after the vaccine is approved and officially marketed, it is still necessary to continue to observe to see if it will produce unknown long-term side effects. He reminded, "If you have done your own epidemic prevention, and you are not a high-risk group, you don't need to rush to vaccinate too much."
He further explained that the vaccine is given to healthy people. The purpose is to pre-stimulate the human immune system to make the human body produce antibodies against the virus, thereby helping to reduce the chance of contracting covid, or even if the body is infected, the condition can be alleviated to an extent. However, the reality is that even if the relevant vaccines have been approved for marketing, it does not mean that they are 100% safe, because the human immune system may mistakenly recognize certain viral properties in other organs of the body and attack, so the vaccine's confirmed long-term safety needs to be observed for a long time.
Lin Bing went on to point out that the availability of the vaccine only means that it has short-term safety but it does not guarantee its long-term effectiveness. People who have been vaccinated should also be aware that if there is any abnormality in the body, they must explain to the doctor that they have been vaccinated.
It is worth noting that the WHO spokesperson, Margaret Harris, stated in early September that none of the Chinese SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that have entered phase III clinical trials are more than 50% effective. Therefore, It will take longer to understand the effectiveness and safety of relevant vaccines. Do not expect widespread vaccination before the middle of next year.
In fact, vaccine research and development also faces another potential threat, that is, the mutation of SARS-CoV-2.
According to public information, in the past few months, researchers from many countries have confirmed that there have been hundreds of mutations in SARS-CoV-2, and the study of virus mutations is also an important part of vaccine development. The vaccines currently being developed in various countries are targeted at the unique "spike" of the novel coronavirus, that is, the spike protein used by covi to invade host cells. However, if the "spike" of the virus changes a lot during the mutation process, the preventive effect of the covi vaccine that has been developed will be greatly reduced.
In addition, the mutation of the virus will also bring about another problem, that is, the recovered patients who have developed immunity to the original virus cannot avoid re-infection when faced with the mutated new strain, and the same person will be infected with covi again.
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