Difference between covid-19 vaccines . As of February 2021 , we have many kind of covid-19 vaccines , so , which one might we get? How do they differ?

1. Pfizer/BioNTech
   • Status : approved in UK,EU and US
   • Type Synthetic mRNA vaccine made from enzymes sends mRNA into body .
   • manufacturer : Culture material by BioNTech in Germany , then send to Pfizer (and Sanofi) to be formulated and bottled
   • Distribution : from Pfizer(Belgium) to central NHS depots . need to store at -70 c
2. Oxford/AstraZeneca
   • status: Approved in UK and EU
   • Type A “viral vector” vaccine using common cold virus modified with “spike” protein to make it similar to Covid-19.
   • manufacturer :UK plants in Wrexham, Oxford and Keele. Also in Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
   • Distribution: Can be kept 6 months in standard refrigeration. Now the plants in Belgium and Germany have had production problems because of the processes . Right now the firm will only be able to deliver 25 million doses by end of March.
3. Moderna
   • status : Approved in UK, EU and US
   • type: MRNA vaccine made using similar process as Pfizer/BioNTech.
   • Manufacturer: There are two main plants in US, and set up operations in Switerland, with Lonza, and in Sweden with Recipharm.
   • Distribution: Must be stored at -20C . , Moderma had production delays with shortage of glass vials and rubber stoppers.
4. Novavax phase 3 trial ended (as of Feb 2021) not yet approved.
5. Johnson and Johnson phase 3 trial ended (as of Feb 2021) not yet approved.
6. Sputnik V claimed is the world’s first registered vaccine based on a well studied human adenovirus vector-based platform vaccine (viral vector). It’s currently approved in Russia and registered in more than 25 countries
   • status Phase 3 trial in UAE, India and Venezuella , Belarus.
   • one of 3 vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%
   • manufacturer: RDIF and partners in India , Brazil , China , South Korea.
   • (need further explaination later)

What distinguishes the three furthest advanced vaccines?

The vaccines licensed by European and US regulatory agencies are generally considered safe. It is not possible to say that one of the vaccines is better for certain target groups or age groups than others.

The vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are so-called mRNA vaccines. They replicate individual proteins in human cells that are typical for the virus, and the body reacts to this by building up an immune defense. The most important difference between the two vaccines: Moderna’s vaccine can be stored for up to 30 days in a normal household refrigerator. 

It does not need to be refrigerated to -70 degrees Celsius (-94 Fahrenheit) during transport, like the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech. However, the latter can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days, just before using it.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine , however , is not an mRNA vaccine, but a so-called viral vector vaccine. It uses a harmless cold virus that normally infects monkeys as a transport mechanism. Thus, the vaccine transports the surface protein of SARS-CoV-2 to human cells, where it triggers an immune response against the coronavirus. A normal household refrigerator is also sufficient for this vaccine. 

source :https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55212787