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Moderna - Potential Pandemic Buster?

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One of the things we’ve all heard about over recent months is pandemic fatigue, and how so many of us are just so tired of having to continue on with our lives turned upside down because of COVID-19. Infectious disease experts told us this was going to be a long haul, but maybe we didn’t really understand the magnitude of what was meant by that. We were also told not to expect a vaccine for COVID before 2021.

Well here we are nearing the end of 2020, and if there’s one bit of good news in all of this misfortune it’s this; a potential vaccine for COVID called Moderna may be available soon. Ordering Moderna from Canada may also be a possibility.

Now of course there’s the old saying you shouldn’t count your chicks before they hatch, and those calling the shots with Federal healthcare initiatives related to controlling the pandemic would be wise to see this similarly. Although preliminary tests of the Moderna COVID 19 vaccine are very promising – with an up to 94.5% effectiveness rate – we still can’t see it as salvation quite yet. Add to that the fact that even if it is approved by the FDA there’s not going to be enough of it to begin with.

However, there is genuine reason for optimism here, and if Moderna does become a proven COVID vaccine then the entire planet may have won a very decisive battle in this global war against the pandemic. And not a moment to soon either, as there’s now more than 11 million cases of COVID in the USA and far too many people have died because of it. People will still need to be proactive, and there are ways to minimize exposure risks for getting COVID.

The best plan for anyone is to do just that; do what you need to do to keep yourself safer and then hope that Moderna or another reliable COVID vaccine works out and has the capacity to prevent people from developing COVID-19.

The topic here is Moderna though, so let’s have a look at this potential COVID vaccine in more detail.

Different Vaccine Type

Most schoolchildren will learn of the great contributions to humanity made by Louis Pasteur or Jonas Salk, but Edward Jenner is probably not so well known. Despite that, he created the first vaccine ever back in 1796 and smallpox was on its way out shortly thereafter. We shouldn’t assume Moderna will be doing the same as a vaccine for COVID, but there is reason for hope.

That smallpox vaccine started the same way every vaccine has ever since – with a small quantity of the virus itself! That’s how vaccines have been made ever since Jenner made the first one 200+ years ago. But now there’s a different way of making them, and that’s what you’ll find with an mRNA vaccine. Moderna is an mRNA vaccine, meaning it’s not made from the virus itself.

These vaccines function differently by containing a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spiked protein on the surface of the virus. The code contained in the Moderna vaccine identifies the COVID virus and then issues protein fragments that spur the immune system to produce antibodies that will protect against the virus taking root in the body.

This is how it works, and it’s helpful to understand that. There is little be done to counter the airborne contaminant risk of the virus. If you’re in a position to inhale it then you probably will unless you’re wearing an N95 mask or something similar, keeping in mind that not all coronavirus masks work equally well.

So if Moderna pans out as an effective coronavirus vaccine, it’s not going to prevent you from being exposed to the virus. What it will do, however, is prevent the virus from turning into the disease that may threaten your life.

20 Million Doses for Delivery

The Moderna vaccine has yet to receive full US FDA approval, but we can safely assume that they aren’t going to waste any time approving it for countrywide distribution as soon as that’s possible. 20 million doses are expected to be made available to the USA by year’s end, and 50 million doses globally. Another promising fact here is that the Moderna vaccine and its safety has been backed by very thorough testing.

Preliminary trials for this potential COVID vaccine put increased focus on high risk and elderly people, as well as for people of different ethnicities and those with specific comorbidities. One thing about Moderna that may complicate things somewhat is that it requires the person to have TWO injections, given at a very specific time interval. With most vaccines only one initial injection is required.

We can safely assume that won’t be too much of an issue for those serious about preventing coronavirus, and in the bigger picture here’s another considerable advantage for Moderna as Covid-19 vaccine; this potential vaccine for COVID is more reliably stored and transported. This could be majorly beneficial if the medication needs to be distributed quickly all across the USA.

Plus, all vaccines need to be stored cold, but Moderna is a little bit different in this regard too. Once thawed, its doses can last longer in a refrigerator than other vaccines, up to 30 days.

Meds from Canada

We said it earlier, but it may eventually be possible to get Moderna from Canada. It may be possible, but will not likely be any time early next year as the first supplies of this potential COVID vaccine are obviously earmarked for federal and State health authorities. Ordering medication from Canada is an increasingly good alternative for Americans who struggle to afford their prescription drugs.

This is more relevant now as a recent White House executive order intends to give Americans access to more affordable medication sourced from outside the country. Pharmacies in Canada and Mexico are increasingly able to sell and deliver to US customers. Will Moderna be included in this? That remains to be seen, and we should be patient and wait for the experts to confirm this is truly an effective COVID vaccine.

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