The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective
We know this because our experts have dedicated their lives to studying how infectious diseases and vaccines work. While the COVID-19 vaccines are relatively new, the mRNA technology they use has been studied and refined for decades.
Two types of vaccines
There are two types of COVID-19 vaccine currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration that rely on mRNA technology: Pfizer and Moderna. Scroll down for more information on how this new technology works and why it’s safe.
Note: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a different technology called viral vector. Read more about how that vaccine works.
Here’s how the mRNA vaccine protects you
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 is the strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. It’s known as a spike protein. Spikes allow a ribonucleic acid (RNA) strand to enter the body, reproduce and kill healthy cells.
When the virus enters the body
When a virus enters the body, your body’s immune system creates antibodies to fight the virus. Since COVID-19 is a novel virus, our body’s immune system has not encountered this virus before and isn’t prepared to fight.
How the vaccine protects you
The vaccine contains messenger RNA made with the genetic code of spike proteins. When you’re injected with the vaccine, this messenger RNA enters your cells and produces a protein to stimulate an immune response, similar to COVID-19.
Now if you encounter the real virus, your body will recognize COVID-19 and is trained to fight it.