11 January 2022
There was a lot of discussions about which vaccine is better and why are they better. There are generally 2 active discussion groups among the netizens of Singapore and Malaysia. These groups are divided among those who took Pfizer or Moderna, the mRNA vaccine and the Sinovac or Sinopharm, the inactivated vaccine.
What are the differences?
Both brands are extensively used all over the World especially in Singapore and Malaysia. The "mRNA" is using the newer technology whereas the "inactivated" is using the traditional method i.e. taking live viruses and killing them using chemicals, heat or radiation. The "inactivated" has been proven to work in people in the past but the "mRNA" is said to have better protection power but it is a new technology that has not been proven except for the approval of various Authorities under the name of "emergency use".
Because of this, many anti-mRNA are not convinced that mRNA is a better vaccine. They often tried to sell "inactivated vaccine" as a well-proven and safer vaccine with lesser side effects. This is despite the many reports indicating all brands of the vaccine are more or less having similar side effects except some people were more allergic to mRNA for some reason.
What has been found today?
It is the death rate reports of those fully or partially vaccinated who have died recently. Both Malaysia and Singapore Authorities have published details about the dead figures regularly but they seldom release anything about the death rates according to the brands of the vaccine. Here is a summary of their recent reports.
Their reports show that Sinovac is a weaker vaccine in protecting people against death. The best is offered by Moderna, followed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Sinopharm and Sinovac in that order.
Limitations of the Reports
The Malaysian report was published in a Medical Journal called MedRvix whereas the Singapore report was a transcript of a speech delivered by the Singapore Health Minister, Mr Ong YK, in the Parliament.
The Malaysian report cited that there were no observation data for each vaccinated patient who died recently due to Covid. There were also no data about the factors that caused the Covid-19 death. As for the Singapore report, most would like to read the detailed reports to be released by the Authority.
In Conclusion
The reports released by the Authorities must be for information purposes in order to satisfy the general public who have not been kept informed about the protection of vaccines against death.
The Malaysian report has pointed out the limitations of their report and advised readers to pay more attention to the advantage of COVID-19 vaccination in reducing the risk of death rather than choosing which vaccine is better than the other. It added that "regardless of the vaccine type, getting vaccinated is the best way to protect against the risk of COVID-19 death".
Update (20 March 2022)
Hong Kong released death figures for Covid cases. 5,437 deaths so far, out of which 5,167 or 70% unvaccinated. Among the remaining 1,486 or 30% vaccinated, 1,292 or 87% took Sinovac and 184 or 12% took N-Tech or Pfizer.
Attachments
a) Video of Straits Times
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