The first case of COVID-19 had been reported on December 31st of 2019, and since then the number of infected people is more than 80 million. On December 11th, 2020 the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the emergent release of the Pfizer -BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Americans sixteen years and older. Before diving into the way this vaccine, it needs to be understood how infections occur and how vaccines aid the immune system.
The human body is under a perpetual attack by thousands of viruses, so how do humans not fall sick every other day? Our body has many defenses, such as skin, mucus, the immune system, and other responses. The skin acts as a barrier to block pathogens from entering the body, but when it is cut, mucus serves to trap the invaders before it can cause any harm. Sometimes the pathogen can get through the line of defense, which is when the immune system kicks in.
Although there are multiple types of white blood cells involved in the immune response, the three in focus are Macrophages, B-lymphocytes, and T-lymphocytes. Macrophages are large white blood cells that swallow and digest dead/dying cells and other germs. After eating the germ, antigens— unique parts of the pathogen that triggers the B-lymphocyte— are left behind and antibodies will attack them. B-lymphocytes are defensive as they respond to the antigens by producing antibodies that attack the pieces of the pathogen left behind by the macrophage. T-lymphocytes defend by directly killing infected host cells and remembering previous infection so that antigens can be made so the B-lymphocytes can kill the pathogen. Because of the immune system's memory, vaccines are able to prevent infections before the body has to experience it.
Although all vaccines target different infections, they all have the same basic premise: aid the body with “memory” T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes, so the body can quickly produce the antigens and antibodies in the presence of the virus. Because most vaccines inject a weakened version of the virus, many experience a fever, chills, or other sick-like symptoms. This is not a cause of worry, as it is a natural process of building immunity to that virus. Due to the structure and way COVID-19 infiltrates the immune system, it is not possible for the vaccine to contain a weakened version. Scientists had to hypothesize safe contents for this vaccine, and now they discovered mRNA vaccines are the best defense.
Messenger RNA vaccines are a new approach of protection against infectious diseases. Rather than a weak or dead virus, mRNA essentially teaches the body how to make the proteins that trigger an immune response. In no way does this type of vaccine alter the body’s DNA; in fact it helps produce antibodies that protect from the actual virus from entering.
The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine prevents COVID by instructing the body on how to make a harmless spike protein that is found on the surface of the virus. Once the cell makes the non-infectious protein, the “instructions” are broken down and removed. From here, the spike protein is present on the cell’s surface, which is recognized as forgein to the body, causing an immune response. In the end, antibodies are made and the body is equipped to fight COVID-19 without facing the fatal consequences of the virus.
Nearly one year later, scientists have found a possible solution to this pandemic. With this vaccine, we can have hope that our lives can become normal as soon as possible. Of course there are some doubts over the vaccine, some being the new use of mRNA vaccines and the rushed timeline that it was released at. Although these are valid concerns, it is important to know that mRNA vaccines are not that new, as they have been studied for decades and been used in cancer treatments. Worries over the speed of the vaccine’s release can be eased, as the CDC ensures that the treatment has been rigorously tested and held up to the same scrutiny as other vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccines that are ready for use have been heavily tested and regulated before being approved by the FDA.
Work Cited
“Understanding MRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Dec. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html.
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