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Dr Tatenda Simango

I HOPE I find you well and in good health. The cliché, “so long life” has never been as relevant as it has been during this Covid-19 pandemic. So many loved ones have been stolen from their families. The worst part is the cultural mourning traditions prohibition; no night vigil, no body viewing and no gathering to pay last respects. This lack of closure has left the bereaved in a bewildered state: denied mourning rights and final respects not paid.

The lifting of the lockdown restrictions brings us yet another chance to decide, through our behavior, if we want life to continue, we need to adhere to the ‘new normal’ guidelines to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. Our collective behavior will determine the rate of spread of disease. Needless to say, another lockdown will be detrimental to our livelihood.

Covid-19 will be with us for most of 2021. The vaccine seems to be one of the main factors that may redeem the situation. However, the vaccination program has to run on a global scale, mostly because of the hazard posed by intercontinental travel in this global village. Unfortunately, it has not been simple, just as South Africa received its first batch of vaccines, a new resistant strain to the Astrazeneca vaccine was discovered rendering the batch ineffective in preventing the spread and severity of the virus in South Africa. The strategy devised was to offer health care workers a once off jab Janssen vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson.

According to the New York Times, this is given as a single dose and was developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to prevent Covid-19 in individuals. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is based on the virus’s genetic instructions for building the spike protein of the Covid-19 virus. The researchers added the gene for the coronavirus spike protein to another virus called Adenovirus 26. Adenoviruses are common viruses that typically cause colds or flu-like symptoms. The Johnson & Johnson team used a modified adenovirus that can enter cells but can’t replicate inside them or cause illness.

After the vaccine is injected into a person’s arm, the adenoviruses bump into cells and latch onto proteins on their surface. The cell engulfs the virus in a bubble and pulls it inside. Once inside, the adenovirus escapes from the bubble and travels to the nucleus, the chamber where the cell’s DNA is stored.

The adenovirus pushes its DNA into the nucleus. The adenovirus is engineered so it can’t make copies of itself, but the gene for the coronavirus spike protein can be read by the cell and copied into a molecule called messenger RNA, or mMRA. This dismisses the falsehood of the vaccine integrating and changing the inoculated persons’ (host) DNA.

Some of the spike proteins produced by the cell form spikes that migrate to its surface and stick out their tips. The vaccinated cells also break up some of the proteins into fragments, which they present on their surface. These protruding spikes and spike protein fragments can then be recognised by the immune system. This will lead to the development of antibodies and a memory defence against the virus before being infected. In the event that an inoculated individual gets infected with proper Covid-19 virus, the body’s antibodies surround the spike protein of the virus and prevent it from entering any host’s cells. The antibody coated Covid-19 infection is now recognised by the body’s immune system and subsequently destroyed before it causes further illness.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has gone through phase three of clinical trials where it demonstrated 85 percent effectiveness in preventing severe disease. Across all the regions studied, it showed protection against Covid-19 related hospitalisation and death, beginning 28 days after vaccination, moreover, it shows protection across countries with different variants.

Contrary to the myth that the vaccines where designed to eliminate Africans; the study enrolled a total of 43 783 participants, 44 percent of participants in the United States. Seventy-four percent of participants in the US are White/Caucasian; 15 percent are Hispanic; 13 percent are Black/African American; six percent are Asian and one percent are Native American.

Side effects that have been reported with the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine include:

Injection site reactions: pain, redness of the skin, and swelling.

General side effects: headache, feeling very tired, muscle aches, nausea, fever.

There is a remote chance that the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine.

Signs include:
-Swelling of your face and throat,
-A fast heartbeat,
-Difficulty breathing,
-A bad rash all over your body,
-Dizziness and weakness.

Researchers do not yet know how long the vaccine’s protection might last. It’s possible that the number of antibodies and killer T cells will drop in the months after vaccination. But the immune system also contains special cells called memory B cells and memory T cells that might retain information about the coronavirus for years or even decades.

The proven fact is that the current vaccines developed do prevent disease severity and death, ‘so long life’ we will determine issues on long term immunity, possible side effects and other factors that are still puzzling at this stage.

The mantra; mask up, wash hands, physical distance and practice cough etiquette is the best prevention. Till next week, stay safe.

*Dr Tatenda Simango can be contacted on [email protected] or follow him on Facebook@ 9th Avenue Surgery.