• COVID-19
• Farmacia
• Vacunas
• Virus

Farmacéuticos responden preguntas sobre las vacunas contra la COVID-19

Por: Emily Bacheller

1 de febrero de 2021

Las vacunas que brindan protección contra el virus de la COVID-19 nos acercan cada vez más al final de esta pandemia mortal. Actualmente hay dos vacunas diferentes contra la COVID-19 disponibles en los EE. UU.: one from Pfizer and the other from Moderna. Kate Ward, PharmD, BCPS, Director of Clinical Pharmacy at Renown Health and Adam Porath, PharmD, Vice President of Pharmacy at Renown, share what you need to know about these vaccines.

Cuando la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos (Food & Drug Administration, FDA) de los EE. UU. aprobó dos vacunas contra la COVID-19 en diciembre de 2020, fue motivo de celebración. ¿Por qué? Esto se debe a que, de acuerdo con los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC), las vacunas son 94 % o más eficaces para brindar protección contra el virus de la COVID-19. Many people are seeking information about the new Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Below, our pharmacy leaders provide answers to some commonly asked questions.

How do the COVID-19 Vaccines Work?

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both mRNA vaccines that help your immune system develop antibodies against the COVID-19 virus. The vaccines use messenger RNA, or mRNA, to show our bodies’ protein-making cells how to make the spike proteins of the COVID-19 virus. Our immune system reacts to these spike proteins by creating antibodies that can recognize and destroy them. So when a person is exposed to the virus in the future, they will be less likely to get sick.

What are the Differences between the Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines?

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are very similar, with just a few small differences worth noting.

• The main difference between the two vaccines is when you should receive your follow-up dose. Patients who receive a first dose of Pfizer should receive their second dose about three weeks later. Those who receive a first dose of Moderna should receive their follow-up vaccination roughly four weeks after their first dose.
• Las personas mayores de 18 años pueden recibir la vacuna de Moderna, mientras que las personas mayores de 16 años pueden recibir la vacuna de Pfizer.
• La dosis de la vacuna de Moderna es de 0.5 ml (100 mcg). La dosis de la vacuna de Pfizer es de 0.3 ml (30 mcg).

 

 

Is One Vaccine Better than the Other?

No, ambas vacunas son altamente eficaces (>94 %) y bien toleradas. There is no medical reason to prefer one COVID-19 vaccine over the other.

Can I Choose Which Vaccine I receive?

No, people cannot choose the vaccine that they receive due to the limited allocation of the vaccines.

What Should People Know about Their Second Dose?

In order to provide optimal protection, both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses. At your first vaccine appointment, you will receive a small card that says which vaccine you received and when you should receive your second dose. It’s important to keep this card for a couple of reasons:

• It can serve as a reminder of which vaccine you received and when you should get your second dose.
• It can help the vaccine clinic team members validate that you are here for the right vaccine within the correct time frame for your second dose.

If you lose your vaccination card, the good news is that you won’t be turned away from your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The information on the vaccine card is also entered into your medical record and into Nevada’s immunizations information system (WebIZ). If you have any questions, please type them in the comments below.