Did you know that there have been more than 5.5 billion coronavirus vaccine shots given so far in 2021? One of the only effective ways at stopping the spread of COVID-19 is by getting a COVID-19 vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccine pharmacy.
It is fair to wonder how the coronavirus vaccine works, as people are fearful that the vaccine will have side effects on their bodies. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place for a look at how this COVID-19 vaccine works and what to expect when you get yours.
Continue reading to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and where you should get a COVID-19 vaccine near me today.
In this article
How Does The Coronavirus Vaccine Work?
Vaccines have been used for decades and they’re a great way to train your body to identify and fight off different germs like bacteria and viruses. These germs could cause serious illness in your body, but a vaccine is designed to give your body the playbook of how to stop them and keep you from getting sick.
This trains your body so that when it comes into contact with these germs your body will already know what it needs to do in order to protect itself.
Vaccines are normally either a small amount of dead or weakened virus that is injected into your body. Sometimes it is in the form of a protein or a nucleic acid. As soon as you receive the vaccine your body goes to work in recognizing the foreign substances that entered it.
From there, your body starts creating memory cells and antibodies that will protect you against that type of bacteria or virus if you come into contact with it again in the future.
How Does The Coronavirus Vaccine Prevent COVID-19?
Coronavirus has spikes of protein on each particle that help the virus to attach to your body’s cells and cause diseases. The COVID-19 vaccine helps your body to identify these proteins and realize that they’re foreign objects. From there, your body will fight the COVID-19 virus that is carrying those proteins.
The vaccine protects you from COVID-19 by decreasing your chances of getting it if you come into contact with the virus or someone that is carrying it.
This is also true if you already had COVID-19 in the past. Your body has built up antibodies that provide some level of immunity to coronavirus that helps to keep you from getting the virus a second time. While that is great, there is no real timetable for how long that immunity lasts.
Different COVID-19 Vaccine Types
There are a number of different COVID-19 vaccines available all across the globe. Though the vaccines might be different, they all have the common goal of stopping COVID-19 in its tracks.
Some of these COVID-19 vaccines came from the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 while others were designed without using any material related to the COVID-19 virus.
Here is a closer look at the different types of COVID-19 vaccines available.
mRNA Vaccines
Two of the most popular and well-known COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines that were first approved for use on humans using this technology. It is important to note that this technology is not a new technology, but it was a stroke of brilliance by Moderna’s Kenneth Chien.
Scientists have come a long way in developing vaccines for infectious diseases over the past handful of years. The mRNA vaccines aren’t derived from any part of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. They work by teaching your body’s cells how to create their own SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins to help fight off the coronavirus.
The process starts with your body making the mRNA protein and providing it to the body’s cells which then create antibodies. This helps your body develop immunity that lasts a long time. You’ll also have no chance of getting COVID-19 with this vaccine since the instructions don’t exist in the vaccine for your body to develop the entire COVID-19 virus.
Viral Vector Vaccines
Viral vector vaccines are similar to mRNA vaccines in that they don’t contain the entire SARS-CoV-2 virus in them. These vaccines work by delivering a harmless virus into your body. They deliver the gene your cells need in order to create the protein for fighting off the coronavirus.
The most popular vaccines of this type are the AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines make use of adenoviruses to teach your body how to create the necessary proteins for fighting off the virus and keeping you safe.
All three vaccines use different viruses from different animals to lead to the creation of the protein. They’re all successful at helping to create the spike protein necessary to fight off the virus. They also don’t carry the information needed for creating the COVID-19 virus inside of your body.
Inactivated Vaccines
Inactivated vaccines differ from viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines. They contain the entire SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virus gets chemically altered as a way to keep it inactive so that it isn’t capable of causing disease in your body.
Some of the popular vaccine options that use this method are the Sinovac, Sinopharm, and Bharat Biotech vaccines. These vaccines use a special chemical called beta-propiolactone as a way of making the SARS-CoV-2 virus inactive.
While this type of coronavirus vaccine works, it isn’t as strong or effective as mRNA or viral vector vaccines.
Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine Today
There are many great benefits to getting a coronavirus vaccine, and zero drawbacks. This is especially true now that you have the answers to the question “How does the coronavirus vaccine work?” There are three main types of COVID-19 vaccines available. The most effective options for protecting your body against COVID-19 are viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines.
This means that you should try to get the Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic near you.
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