This is “the” question that everyone is asking: will the vaccines against the Covid-19 Pfizer / BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and the following succeed in putting an end to this epidemic of coronavirus which has already lasted for more than a year?
For Pr. Michel Cogné, professor of immunology at Rennes University Hospital, the question is not settled: “the most likely hypothesis is that the coronavirus epidemic will follow the same pattern as the flu every year, with varying severity: an annual vaccination could then be necessary.“
“The objective of these vaccines against Covid-19 is to limit the risk of developing a serious form of the disease: it is a “shield”, in particular for the most vulnerable people, but not only, adds the specialist. In the more or less near future, the Covid-19 could be as mild as a cold, because of a broad collective immunity, but I do not believe that it is brought to disappear.“
What about the issue of transmission of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus in vaccinated people? “What emerges from the most recent studies is that vaccination against Covid-19 will certainly reduce the transmission of the virus between humans, even if some vaccinated subjects still develop mild or asymptomatic forms of the disease.“
In summary : while the Covid-19 vaccines are unlikely to eradicate the disease, they will certainly minimize its severity – to allow us (finally) to return to normal life …
At the moment, all eyes are on Israel, the country most advanced in terms of vaccination against Covid-19: this Tuesday, February 2, 2021, 34% of the population had received a first injection . “There is a sharp decrease in severe forms of Covid-19 in sections of the population that have benefited from the vaccine“underlines Pr. Cogné.
Covid-19 vaccine: not all countries are equal
Vaccination against Covid-19 faces a major obstacle: inequalities between states. “No country is exceptional and should (…) vaccinate its entire population while some remain without vaccine supply“warned Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 19, 2021, at a time when 95% of the doses of the Covid-19 vaccine administered concerned only 10 countries. .
“To curb the coronavirus epidemic, the industrial effort must imperatively continue so that developing countries can also benefit from vaccination“underlines Pr. Cogné. Immunization equality between States is indeed essential since migratory and tourist flows have largely contributed to starting and maintaining the epidemic …
Covid-19 vaccine: do variants of the coronavirus risk reducing its effectiveness?
British variant (B117 or VOC 202012/01 in medical language), South African variant (501 V2) … The “clones” of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus are of great concern to researchers: will they be able to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines anti-Covid-19?
“It is a possibility but, again, we lack perspective on this issue since the first vaccinations took place at the end of 2020.“remarks Pr. Cogné. Good news, however: it is”quite easy“, on a technical level, to include the variants (current or future) of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus in the formula of messenger RNA vaccines – Pfizer / BioNtech, Moderna, but also CureVac which could soon be validated by health authorities.
This Wednesday, January 3, 2021, the British pharmaceutical company GSK and the German CureVac have also announced that they are joining forces to develop an mRNA vaccine against the variants of the coronavirus: it should be ready in 2022.
Thanks to Prof. Michel Cogné, professor of immunology at Rennes University Hospital.
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