It has been a little over a year since the world has been in the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, the vaccine has been a big relief! Many have already received it, and others are ready to book an appointment. For others, there is worry when it comes to getting the vaccine. Much of the worry comes from not understanding exactly what the vaccines are. In today’s blog we want to share some information about the different vaccines available to the public, so that you understand what each vaccine is. The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) has released information about each vaccine available to prevent transmission and contraction of COVID-19. There are currently three vaccines authorized and recommended in the US to prevent COVID-19: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. Summary of each vaccine according to the CDC: Pfizer-BioNTech The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is an mRNA vaccine. According to the CDC, mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response produces antibodies. The antibodies protect us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies. This is new technology that is different from many other vaccines. For example, the flu shot puts an deactivated virus or part of a virus into our bodies to produce an immune response to protect against infectious diseases. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires 2 doses that are 21 days apart. The shot is given in the muscle of the upper arm. This vaccine is recommended for people 16 years and older. You should not get this vaccine if you have had any sort of allergic reaction to any of the ingredients found in this vaccine. Here is a link to the full list of ingredients: https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download. You also should not get the vaccine if you have had any sort of allergic reaction after getting the first dose of the vaccine. Most people have no side effects other than a little soreness where the shot was given. Moderna The Moderna vaccine is another type of mRNA vaccine that teaches our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. The Moderna vaccine also requires 2 doses, but these doses are 28 days apart. This shot is also given in the muscle of the upper arm. This vaccine is recommended for people 18 years and older. You should also not take this vaccine if you have had any sort of allergic reaction to any of the ingredients found in this vaccine. Here is a link to the full list of ingredients: https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/download. Just like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, you should not get the second dose if you had any sort of allegoric reaction from the first dose. Most people have no side effects other than a little soreness where the shot was given. Johnson & Johnson/Janssen The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a viral vector vaccine. According to the CDC, a viral vector vaccine uses a modified version of a different virus (the vector) to deliver important instructions to our cells. For the COVID-19 viral vector vaccine, the vector (not the virus that causes COVID-19, but a different, harmless virus) will enter a cell in our body and then use the cell’s machinery to produce a harmless piece of the virus that causes COVID-19. This piece is known as a spike protein and it is only found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. Our cell then displays the spike protein on its exterior, and our immune system recognizes it does not belong there which triggers our immune system to produce antibodies to fight off what it believes is an infection. This process teaches our body how to protect us from infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose shot that is injected into the muscle of the upper arm. This vaccine is recommended for people 18 years and older. You should not get this vaccine if you have had any sort of allergic reaction to any ingredient in the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Here is a link to the full list of ingredients: https://www.fda.gov/media/146305/download. Side effects of the three authorized COVID-19 vaccines The side effects for each vaccine are similar. Some side effects after receiving the vaccines include pain and redness, and/or swelling in the arm where you received the vaccine. After receiving the vaccine, you may also experience tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, and/or fever and nausea. You can get more detailed information on what to expect after getting vaccinated at the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html. We hope that today’s blog post gave you a better understanding of what each authorized COVID-19 vaccine is. Feel free to leave comments down below! References Bailey, D. (2020, November 09). Coronavirus: How soon can we expect a working vaccine? Retrieved April 06, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54027269 Covid-19: Oxford VACCINE rolled out to hundreds of GP sites in England. (2021, January 07). Retrieved April 06, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55567421 Different covid-19 vaccines. (n.d.). Retrieved April 01, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html Understanding mrna covid-19 vaccines. (n.d.). Retrieved April 06, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html Understanding viral vector covid-19 vaccines. (n.d.). Retrieved April 06, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/viralvector.html
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