Since the WHO and other health organizations approved the COVID-19 vaccines, countries worldwide began vaccination campaigns. Currently, more than 170 countries have vaccine trials and vaccinated people, and health providers can write in a data system about side effects if any. Epidemiologists, scientists, doctors and health organizations are urging people to get any COVID-19 vaccine available in their countries, even if they are healthy and young. The idea is that although healthy and young people might not develop severe cases of SARS-CoV- 2 infections, it depends on the strain they got infected with. In addition, they can spread the virus inside their homes and communities, infecting people with comorbidities or fragile immune systems. Those who have a weak immune system should get vaccinated so that they do not develop severe cases, and their life might be in danger in case they do get infected.
Types of COVID-19 vaccines
The COVID-19 vaccines are built using different technologies, but scientists divide them into four big categories. According to the WHO, the vaccines that are now in clinical phases and have been administered to people worldwide are vaccines using the whole SARS-CoV 2 virus, subunit vaccines, nucleic vaccines, and viral vector vaccines. Whole virus vaccines are also known as the whole-microbe approach. The virus is inactivated, weakened, and prepared just like other popular vaccines worldwide: the measles, rubella and mumps vaccines. Subunit vaccines use pieces of the virus protein and train the immune system how to respond to infections. These might need booster shots. Nucleic acid vaccines (mRNA) such as the Pfizer and Moderna use genetic material such as RNA and DNA and teaches our cells how to create antigen against the COVID-19 virus. The viral vector vaccine also gives cells instructions on producing antigens, but they do use the inactive virus.
Do the vaccines work on a weak immune system?
Researchers determined that it is yet early to decide how effective they are, but they are probably not as effective as on healthy individuals. This is why certain governments (France, Israel) worldwide have decided to soon offer a third shot of some available COVID-19 vaccines to make sure that those with a weaker immune system are protected. In the U.S, recent sources mention that patients suffering from transplants, cancer and other diseases might seek to get the third one as well.
