COVID-19 Vaccines Explained

A vaccine aims to prevent disease. It promotes the production of antibodies by stimulating the immune system without natural exposure to the disease, which for some could be fatal. Then, when the body does get in contact with the virus naturally, it defends itself immediately by remembering its combat training from the vaccine. Vaccines are commonly administered by an injection, oral or nasal route. 

No, a vaccine is not a cure. At the moment, there is not enough data from studies to suggest that a vaccine will have long-term lasting effects against contracting COVID-19. Remdesivir is an antiviral agent that is being investigated for the treatment of COVID-19 and is available under an Emergency Use Authorization. See also COVID cocktail prevention.

The flu shot uses a different type of vaccine than the leading COVID vaccines. A flu shot is an inactivated or killed version of the germ that causes influenza. The vaccines made for COVID prevention are using the spike protein from the Coronavirus that causes the disease. Each helps the body to build antibodies to protect against infection of the disease.

Operation Warp Speed is a public-private partnership funding the development and production of three vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and Novovax as a response to COVID-19. Private corporations and the federal US government, (Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services) are working together to distribute millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines as swiftly as possible while ensuring the safety of COVID-19 treatments. The project is meant to take some of the risks out of developing the vaccine that would come at a normal pace such as a shortage of funding, limited time, and lack of resources.

5 notable COVID-19 vaccines that are in Phase 3 of clinical trials in the USA and UK:
1. Moderna
2. Pfizer BioNtech
3. Johnson & Johnson
4. Novavax
5. Oxford AstraZeneca

There are 4 types of vaccines. Each type is built to train the immune system how to recognize and defend against specific germs or viruses.
1. A live but weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes the disease (e.g., measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), smallpox, chickenpox).
2. Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes the disease (e.g., hepatitis A, flu, polio).
3. Subunit vaccines made from the protein of the virus (hepatitis B, HPV, shingles).
4. Vaccines that target the toxin instead of the whole germ that causes the disease (diphtheria, tetanus).
There are various techniques for administering a vaccine, with the most common given through an oral route, nasal route, and skin, tissue, or muscle injections. Most of the leading COVID-19 vaccines in development in the US and UK are protein vaccines administered through muscle injections.

mRNA, or Messenger RNA, can be thought of as notes or messages. They are single-stranded molecules that carry messages to cells. DNA is copied into RNA and becomes mRNA, which is then translated into protein. The mRNA vaccine tricks your cells into creating spike proteins from SARS-CoV-2. Both Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. RNA does not enter a cell’s nucleus or DNA.

Adenovirus vaccines use the protein of the virus. The Johnson & Johnson vaccines use a modified adenovirus (common viruses that cause cold or flu) that can enter cells but cannot replicate inside of them. Adding the coronavirus spike protein DNA creates the full genetic sequence for the adenoviral vector vaccine. This vaccine is like Pfizer and Moderna’s, only it uses double-stranded molecules that carry messages to cells.

Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease because most of the population is immune due to vaccinations or previous infections, which reduces the chance of infection for those who are vulnerable.

When speaking of vaccine prioritization, patients with the highest risk should be the first vaccine recipients first. For example, 8% of nursing home residents have died from COVID. Elderly in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, immunocompromised, and high-risk essential workers who have a higher likelihood for exposure to the virus should also be prioritized in vaccine distribution

The data on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines are still being analyzed.

The data on the duration of the COVID-19 vaccines are still being analyzed.

At present, the Food and Drug Administration has only authorized 2 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) for emergency medical use in the United States. To reduce the rate of infectious disease during the event of a pandemic or national health emergency, the FDA makes an exception to allow the release and distribution of certain vaccines, medical products, and biological products to the American public while the complete approval and review process happen simultaneously. The FDA continues to monitor and follow up with participants in clinical trials to check for adverse events, immune response, and to check the vaccine’s overall safety while still in development.

On December 11, the FDA authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for emergency use. On December 18, the FDA authorized Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for emergency use.

It is likely that a vaccine will cause pain at the site of injection temporarily. Common side effects of vaccines include pain, swelling, or tenderness at the site of injection, fever (mild), aches, fatigue, and chills.

The mRNA molecules are extremely delicate, and decompose quickly at room temperature. This is why Moderna’s vaccine needs to be stored, shipped refrigerated at -4 °F ( -20°C), used within 6 months and why Pfizer’s must be ultra cold frozen.

No, vaccines do not contain nano-chips.