Astrazeneca deems Malta vaccine consignment safe

Pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca has confirmed that a vaccine consignment which arrived in Malta last Sunday can be used.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that it has received official confirmation from the company, after checks were carried out on the temperature the vaccines were transported in.

In an unrelated press conference on Tuesday, the Health Minister Chris Fearne said health authorities were concerned about a temperature probe used in the consignment which arrived over the weekend.

Fearne said every consignment is equipped with two monitors, a GPS monitor and a thermometer.

The AstraZeneca vaccines was approved by the UK regulatory agency last December.

The AstraZeneca vaccine does not need super low temperatures to store, which makes it easier and faster to roll out.

Malta has a million doses ordered from AstraZeneca as part of the EU joint procurement process.

Following approval, the ministry said the vaccine rollout can continue as planned, with non-medical front liners aged 55 years or younger receiving the jab in the coming days.

How is the vaccine expected to work?

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is expected to work by preparing the body to defend itself against infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

This virus uses proteins on its outer surface, called spike proteins, to enter the body’s cells and cause disease.

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is made up of another virus (of the adenovirus family) that has been modified to contain the gene for making the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The adenovirus itself cannot reproduce and does not cause disease.

Once it has been given, the vaccine delivers the SARS-CoV-2 gene into cells in the body. The cells will use the gene to produce the spike protein. The person’s immune system will treat this spike protein as foreign and produce natural defences − antibodies and T cells − against this protein.

If, later on, the vaccinated person comes into contact with SARS-CoV-2, the immune system will recognise the virus and be prepared to attack it: antibodies and T cells can work together to kill the virus, prevent its entry into the body’s cells and destroy infected cells, thus helping to protect against COVID-19.