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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaOpinion
Wen Shi LeeandHyon Xhi Tan

Opinion | Which Covid-19 vaccine is the best? That’s a complicated question

  • The effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines can be compared in countries that have rolled out different vaccines to the same populations
  • However, waiting for the perfect vaccine is a futile ambition. Every vaccine delivered is a small but significant step towards global normality

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A Japanese medical worker administers a Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: AP
Wen Shi LeeandHyon Xhi Tan
As the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines accelerates, people are increasingly asking which vaccine is best?
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Even if we tried to answer this question, defining which vaccine is “best” is not simple. Does that mean the vaccine better at protecting you from serious disease? The one that protects you from whichever variant is circulating near you? The one that needs fewer booster shots? The one for your age group? Or is it another measure entirely?

Even if we could define what’s “best”, it’s not as if the public has a choice of vaccine. Until a suite of vaccines become available, the vast majority of people around the world will be vaccinated with whichever vaccine is available.

That’s based on available clinical data and health authorities’ recommendations, or by what your doctor advises if you have an underlying medical condition. So the candid answer to which Covid-19 vaccine is “best” is simply the one available to you right now.
Still not convinced? Here’s why it’s so difficult to compare Covid-19 vaccines.

Clinical trial results only go so far

You might think clinical trials might provide some answers about which vaccine is “best”, particularly the large phase 3 trials used as the basis of approval by regulatory authorities around the world.

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