Everything you need to know about Moderna Vaccine Series 1

What humanity would give for life to return to a pre-Covid-19 era when we expected tomorrow without a tinge of fear? We crave normalcy now, in whatever form we knew it to be before our lives and our ways were turned inside upside down and inside out.

To achieve this, the world has had to look to frontline health workers and the big pharmaceutical companies to provide the rest of the world with solutions that would enable human societies to return to the desired normalcy in both social and economic aspects.

The response has come in the form of vaccines to the Covid-19 virus. While a few have been listed by the World Health Organization for emergency use on the recommendations of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization; several more are being critically evaluated to determine their efficacy in preventing severe Covid-19 disease infection; holding out hope for the entire world as nations grapple with the reality of the many faces of the virus in the face of acute shortage of the vaccines. Thus having the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine given the WHO nod for use makes it a case of ‘the more, the merrier. 

Like the other vaccines that have received Emergency Use Listing; this emergency use listing came on the recommendations issued by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization after an extensive review of the data provided from the clinical trials of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine against COVID-19 in people aged 18 years and older.

The Moderna vaccine has probably one of the highest percentage levels of efficacy amongst the vaccines that have received the WHO-SAGE interim recommendations as it has been shown to have an efficacy of up to 92% in protecting against COVID-19, starting 14 days after the first dose.

The Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine has a schedule of two doses of 100 µg, 0.5 ml each at 28 days apart. However, SAGE recommends that where necessary, the interval between the first and second doses may be extended to 42 days; compliance with the full schedule is also recommended and ensures that the same product is used for both doses.

While this vaccine did not initially make the WHO Emergency Use Listing; it however underwent rigorous review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) resulting in a Conditional Marketing Authorization (CMA) across the European Union.

However, on April 30, 2021, Moderna announced that its mRNA vaccine had received the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) as a tool to prevent COVID-19 in persons aged 18 or over.

Nevertheless, SAGE recommends that all those who have been vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine be observed for a period not less than 15 minutes immediately after vaccination, and those who show signs of immediate severe allergic reaction to the first dose should not be administered the second doses.

Despite these recommendations and approvals, though, longer-term safety assessment such as continued follow up of clinical trial subjects, in addition to specific studies and continued surveillance of secondary effects or adverse events of those being vaccinated in the rollout are ongoing to ensure that the vaccine can be administered without worrying concerns.

On safe vaccine use, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, a group of experts, provides an independent and authoritative guide to the WHO by critically assessing reports of suspected safety events of the potential international impact they receive about new vaccines. 

Having successfully passed the requirements for the use of a new vaccine; the Moderna vaccine has thus become another weapon in the arsenal of the human race in the fight against the Covid-19 disease that has in the past 18+ months, threatened to annihilate us from the face of the earth.

Man has always triumphed in the face of such adversities, and the Moderna mRNA vaccine looks to contribute effectively to us doing so again. The next article reviews some of the vital information about the Moderna Vaccine, such as its safety and efficacy levels that should give people the confidence to receive it for protection against the disease.

We make every effort to provide you with content that is both relevant and of high quality. More information on the Moderna Vaccine can be obtained from The Watchtower, an award-winning web design and development firm based in London and Dubai. You can also find aspiring content on movies, cinemas, lifestyle, content, company marketing, and production on the website.