Top Clinical Pharmacologist Says “Any Vaccine Is Better Than None”

The preparation from Oxford University and Astra Zeneca should prevent slightly fewer diseases than the RNA vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, according to Markus Zeitlinger, however, “any vaccine is better than no vaccine.”

Zeitlinger of MedUni Vienna continued by adding: “In any case, it is better to be vaccinated earlier than to wait to vaccinate.”

At the end of January, the EU Medicines Agency could approve the coronavirus vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca. The protection rate – according to interim evaluations of the data – is 70 per cent, meaning 70 out of 100 people are protected from disease after infection. At BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna it is more than 90 per cent.

Despite the difference, Markus Zeitlinger said there are two reasons why people should get vaccinated anyway:

– Individual protection

“A protection rate of 70 per cent is still higher than that of the influenza vaccine (up to a maximum of 60 per cent). In the case of influenza, for example, those who fall ill despite being vaccinated usually have a milder course with fewer complications,” he said

– Community protection

“Every vaccination is important for herd immunity,” Zeitlinger said.

“It slows down or stops the general circulation of the virus in a population – and thus the individual risk of infection also decreases.”

Zeitlinger advises taking the vaccine that is available first: “If, however, different vaccines are available in sufficient quantities, one could consider giving older people, who generally respond poorly to vaccines, the more effective RNA vaccines.”

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