I have not been vaccinated so this title is not about me but about the population: We humans now have vaccines to deal with the Covid-19, although the distribution of vaccine is now the biggest challenge in the US and the world.
Not All Vaccines Were Born Equal
According to this report from LA Times, the Pfizer vaccine is only 75% effective among Asians, while Moderna is 100%. “All five of the people in the Moderna trial who developed COVID-19 after receiving the vaccine were white. As a result, the Moderna vaccine was 100% effective in Black, Latino and Asian Americans, as well as in people with mixed racial backgrounds.”
On the other hand, “In its Phase 3 trial, the Pfizer vaccine was 100% effective for Black study participants and 94.5% effective for Latino participants, slightly below the 94.7% effectiveness for white subjects. In addition, it was 74.4% effective in Asian Americans, and 100% effective in Native Americans and Pacific Islanders.”
Of course, given the tight supply of vaccines, we are lucky to have one so we can’t really pick and choose. The only difference is that we will feel better knowing the vaccine you received is more effective to your racial background.
We Should Have Multiple Priorities for Vaccination
Now everything goes to age but this is not efficient. I would say open it up to essential workers and teachers so that the schools can open and parents can be liberated. This is what Israel has been doing. They give priority to the elders but at the end of day, they also give the vaccine to the walk-ins so no vaccine will be wasted.
To increase the rate of vaccination it is better to go to where there are many people naturally so people can line up and get shots.
Do Not Rely On Vaccine Only
This report provides hope for non-vaccination approach of dealing with the virus. “A new coronavirus treatment being developed at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center has successfully completed phase 1 trials and appears to have helped numerous moderate-to-serious cases of COVID-19 quickly recover from the disease.” “Nadir Arber’s EXO-CD24 substance had been administered to 30 patients whose conditions were moderate or worse, and all 30 recovered — 29 of them within three to five days.”
Even better and quicker treatment is to use common asthma drug: “Oxford University researchers say steroid budesonide, inhaled as a treatment for respiratory disorders, effective when administered to patients within a week of first symptoms.”