COVID-19 VACCINE PREPARATION, ITS

EFFECTS AND SIDE EFFECTS

COVID-19 VACCINE:
Definition:
The vaccine manufactured in order to fight the
Corona virus disease which appeared in the
year 2019; also known as COVID-19; is
COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 VACCINE
PREPARATION:
Two vaccines have been produced in order to prevent or cure the COVID-19 virus. They
are:
 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer BioNTech)
 COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca

 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer BioNTech)

The vaccine contains BNT162b2 messenger RNA
embedded in lipid nanoparticles.

The vaccine does not contain preservative.

No animal products are used in the manufacture of this

vaccine.

PREPARATION:
 Follow aseptic technique. Perform hand hygiene before vaccine preparation, between
patients, when changing gloves (if worn), and any time hands become soiled.
 Remove vaccine from the freezer or refrigerator. Allow vaccine to come to room
temperature. Vials can be held at room temperature for up to 2 hours before mixing. After
2 hours, return unmixed vials to the refrigerator.
 Before mixing, check the expiration dates of the vaccine and diluent. NEVER use expired
vaccine or diluent. The expiration date for the diluent and the vaccine is located on the
vial.
 With the vaccine at room temperature, gently invert vial 10 times. Do not shake the vial.
If the vial is shaken, discard the vaccine. The vaccine is white to off-white in color and
may contain opaque particles. Do not use if liquid is discolored.
  Using a new, sterile alcohol prep pad for each vial, wipe off the stoppers of the diluent
and vaccine vials. Using a 21-gauge (or narrower) needle, withdraw 1.8 mL of 0.9%
sodium chloride (normal saline,
preservative-free) into a mixing
syringe. Discard diluent vial and
any remaining diluent. Do NOT
use bacteriostatic normal saline
or other diluents to mix the
vaccine.
 Inject 1.8 mL 0.9% sodium
chloride (normal saline,
preservative-free) diluent into the
vaccine vial.
 Using the mixing syringe,
remove 1.8 mL of air from the
vaccine vial to equalize the
pressure in the vaccine vial.
 Gently invert the vial containing vaccine and diluent 10 times. The vaccine will be off-
white in color. Do not use if discolored or contains particulate matter. Do not shake. If
the vial is shaken, discard the vaccine.
 Note the date and time the vaccine was mixed on the vial.
 Keep mixed vaccine at room temperature (2°C to 25°C [36°F to 77°F]) and administer
within 6 hours. Discard any unused vaccine after 6 hours. Do not return to refrigerator or
freezer storage.

Contraindications:

The COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 vaccine should not be given to people who
have had a confirmed anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine or any components of the
vaccine.

In addition to the highly purified BNT162b2 messenger RNA, the vaccine also contains:
- ALC-0315 = (4-hydroxybutyl) azanediyl)bis (hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-
hexyldecanoate)
- ALC-0159 = 2-[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide
- 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine
- Cholesterol
- potassium chloride
- potassium dihydrogen phosphate
- sodium chloride
- disodium hydrogen phosphate dehydrates
- sucrose
- water for injections
EFFECTS OF Pfizer BioNTech VACCINE:
Manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccines need to show evidence that they will be
effective.
They can do this by showing a reduction in virus levels in animal studies where the
vaccines were used and that people in the trials have made an antibody response to the
vaccine.
Vaccine effectiveness can be calculated by comparing the number of cases of COVID-19
disease in trial participants who received the COVID-19 vaccine with the number of trial
participants who received the placebo or alternative (non-COVID-19) vaccine.

Those running clinical trials will also look at antibody response:

- after one dose and two doses
- at different dosages of the vaccine
- with different time intervals between vaccine doses
- in different age groups

Over time, they will look at how long the antibodies last and the effect on antibody levels
if a booster dose is given, whether the vaccine only stops people from becoming severely
ill or if it also stops them spreading the virus too.

It is recommended that the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine should be routinely

scheduled between four and 12 weeks after the first dose.
This will allow more people to benefit from the protection provided from the first dose
during the roll out phase.
Longer term protection will then be provided by the second dose.

SIDE EFFECTS OF Pfizer BioNTech VACCINE:

The following reactions were reported by the vaccine clinical trial Participants:
Local reactions
Over 80% reported pain at the injection site. Redness and swelling was
also commonly reported
Systemic reactions
The most frequently reported systemic reactions (reactions affecting the whole body)
were:
 tiredness (> 60%)
 headache (> 50%)
 muscle aches (> 30%)
 chills (> 30%)
 joint pain (> 20%)
 raised temperature (pyrexia)(> 10%)
These symptoms were usually mild or moderate in intensity and resolved within a few
days after vaccination.
Medicines such as paracetamol can be given for pain or fever if required.
These symptoms normally last less than a week but if their symptoms get worse or they
are concerned, they should speak to their GP.

 COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca

The COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca vaccine should also not be given to people who had
a confirmed anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine or any components of the vaccine.

PREPARATION:

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is a viral vector vaccine which uses a weakened

adenovirus as a carrier to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 antigen.

The adenovirus has been modified so that it

cannot replicate (grow and multiply by making
copies of itself) in human cells and therefore
cause any disease.

The genes that encode for the spike protein on

the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been inserted into
the adenovirus's genetic code to make the
vaccine.

When the vaccine is injected, it enters the

host's cells which then manufacture the spike protein.
This then stimulates the immune system which reacts by producing antibodies and
memory cells to the SARS-CoV-2 virus without causing disease.

Contraindications:
The COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca contains recombinant, replication-deficient
chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein.
 
It also contains:
• L-Histidine
• L-Histidine hydrochloride monohydrate
• Magnesium chloride hexahydrate
• Polysorbate 80
• Ethanol
• Sucrose
• Sodium chloride
• Disodium edetate dihydrate
• Water for injections
The vaccine does not contain preservative.
EFFECTS OF AstraZeneca VACCINE:

Combined results from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa showed that
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca was safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in people
from 18 years of age. People did not know if they had been given the test vaccine or the
control injection.

In addition, as the vaccine is to

be given as two standard doses,
and the second dose should be
given between 4 and 12 weeks
after the first, the Agency
concentrated on results
involving people who received
this standard regimen.

These showed a 59.5%

reduction in the number of symptomatic COVID-19 cases in people given the vaccine
compared with people given control injections (154 of 5,210 got COVID-19 with
symptoms). This means that the vaccine demonstrated around a 60% efficacy in
the clinical trials.

SIDE EFFECTS OF AstraZeneca VACCINE:

Following are the sides effects of this vaccine:

 Tenderness, pain, warmth, redness, itching, swelling or bruising where the

injection is given
 Generally feeling unwell
 Feeling tired (fatigue)
 Chills or feeling feverish
 Headache
 Feeling sick (nausea)
 Joint pain or muscle ache

And some less common but still possible side effects are:

 Feeling dizzy
 Decreased appetite
 Abdominal pain
 Enlarged lymph nodes
  Excessive sweating, itchy skin or rash

REFERENCE:

1.  "Summary of COVID-19 Long Term Health Effects: Emerging evidence and Ongoing
Investigation" (PDF). University of Washington.
2. news.UN.org 30. October 2020: "Long-term symptoms of COVID-19 'really
concerning',says WHO chief".
3. "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Prognosis | BMJ Best Practice US". BMJ.
Lavery, Amy M. (November 2020). "Characteristics of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Discharged and Experiencing Same-Hospital Readmission — United States, March–
August 2020" (PDF). MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 69 (45): 1695–
99.