The Banking Executive Magazine - April 2021

The COVID-19 VACCINES The most widely used vaccines are developed by the following firms: • Pfizer and its German-based part- ner BioNTech • Moderna • Johnson & Johnson's and Janssen Pharmaceuticals • AstraZeneca made with a team at Britain's University of Oxford • Novavax: Maryland-based biotechnology company • Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline • Sinovac and Sinopharm Chinese company • Sputnik V developed by Russian researchers COVID-19 VACCINES TECHNOLOGIES Various technologies were used in covid-19 vaccines innovated to date. These technologies are described in the following table. MIT technology review, compiled an annual selection of the year 2021 most important technologies chang- ing our lives. COVID-19 vaccine technology, mRNA was on the top of the list of these most important tech- nologies. VACCINE PRODUCTION The World Health Organization WHO, The Centre for disease control and prevention CDC, UNICEF, and various healthcare authorities around the world are developing blueprints for various vaccines. These blue- prints give the following information about vaccines and can be accessed online: • Overview of vaccine producer and development • Number of vaccines produced so far and supplied to the world • Doses required at various time in- tervals • How it is taken (oral, or injection, or other) • Storage requirement • Approval by authorities and coun- tries around the world • Trial stage • Side effects • Long term impact • Repeating frequency (how often we need to retake the jab to stay immune) • Uptake and acceptance by various communities • Underlying technology • Contributing manufacturers and labs • Other info There has been huge efforts from world organization and authorities to encourage people to take vaccine but some people around the world still have fears and concerns about vaccines side effect, impact on the body, short term and long term effi- ciency, and other concerns in re- spects of use, production, and appropriate supply. VACCINE SUPPLY KPMG analysis reveals that the emer- gence of COVID-19 vaccines has the BANKING EXECUTIVE 56 ISSUE 148 APRIL 2021 Table 1. COVID-19 Vaccines technologies (Table adapted from Source: CNN Reporting; Graphic: Will Mullery, CNN) mRNA VECTOR VACCINES PROTEIN SUBUNIT WHOLE, KILLED Used by: Pfizer and Moderna vaccines Does: 2 Used by: AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sputnik Doses: 1-2 Used by: Novavax, Sanofi Doses: 1 Used by: Sinovac Doses: 1 mRNA vaccines instructs cells to make a piece of the coronavirus spike protein that will strengthen the immune system Vector vaccines use another virus to carry in the genetic instructions to make the spike protein. Protein subunit vaccines just get pieces of the target virus circulating in the system for the immune system to find and recognize Batches of the coronavirus must first be grown and then killed using a chemical or heat, and then made into an injected vaccine.