The coronavirus has caused a worldwide health and economic crisis. To combat this rules and regulations have been implemented, including limited travel and remote schooling. These solutions have helped to slow the transmission of the virus, and in some places, eradicate the virus completely. However, a vaccine to counteract the virus will be the most effective long-term solution for the world. Scientists have created multiple vaccines against the coronavirus. It’s important to know which vaccine can be more effective and beneficial.

The World Health Organization issued a statement on the Covid-19 vaccines saying, “Progress on vaccines gives us all a lift and we can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for possible Emergency Use Authorization on Friday, Nov. 20, and it was authorized on Dec. 11. This vaccine requires storage of about -94 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires specialized freezers. Debra Kristensen, who worked in vaccine innovation and supply chains at the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), an international public health nonprofit, said distributing Pfizer under ultra-cold chain storage conditions is “definitely going to be much more expensive and more difficult” than storing Moderna.

The Moderna vaccine was sent to the FDA on Nov. 16, and by Dec. 19, it was authorized. The Moderna vaccine is stable at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, about the temperature of a standard home or medical refrigerator. This vaccine can be stored for up to six months at -4 degrees Fahrenheit. Moderna’s clinical trial data suggests that their vaccine appeared to be slightly lower effective to people 65 and older, but the company explained that the numbers could have been influenced by the fact there were few cases in that age group in the trial. The vaccine appeared to be equally effective across different ethnic and racial groups.

Both vaccines are mRNA vaccines that are about 95% effective. The vaccines code the coronavirus’s spike proteins. The shot injects the noninfectious version and the cells start producing the spike proteins. This triggers the body’s immune system to start creating antibodies. The lab data from the FDA, on both vaccines, suggests that it is “quite effective” against the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil variants. Recipients must take two doses that are about 28 days apart.

Unless you are allergic to one of the ingredients in one of the vaccines, there is no reason to choose one mRNA vaccine over another. Both Moderna and Pfizer are very similar and have about the same effective percentages. Both vaccines have shown to be safe, so take the one that is offered first. The same applies to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which the FDA recently approved and has shown to be highly effective.

“Part of my messaging in the community has been that the vaccines on the market are equally efficacious and equally safe,” Dr. Marina Del Rios, emergency medicine specialist at the University of Illinois-Chicago said. “The best vaccine you can get is the one that you can get a hold of first, and getting vaccinated earlier, sooner rather than later, protects us from getting sick ourselves and also our community, which has been so terribly devastated by this virus.”

If the Pascack Hills community wants to truly abolish Covid-19, then people must get the vaccine to protect themselves and others. Currently, Bergen County vaccinates people who are either health care workers, first responders, educators, people 65 or older, and those who are 16-64 with underlying health issues.

On March 15, New Jersey began an expansion of vaccine eligibility to include individuals experiencing homelessness, transportation workers, and more. Two weeks later, on March 29, the state plans to roll out the vaccine to a larger pool of essential workers that includes people like cashiers and delivery people. The full list of vaccine-eligible New Jerseyans at these dates is available here.

Once the vaccine is available to everyone, it is vital that people get the vaccine in order to help the Hills community and staff members. To learn more about the Covid-19 vaccine in New Jersey, click here.