So you want to get the Covid-19 vaccine, but you're feeling nervous? Sometimes knowing exactly what something is made of and how it works can help us feel a little more secure about trying something.
The first decision you want to make before you go and get your first shot is what type of vaccine you'll get. There are currently three types: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one available for 12-17 years olds.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic is still underway and the Delta variant is becoming more widespread, getting the vaccine will still provide protection against all forms of the virus.
"No matter what study you look at, the protection against severe disease leading to hospitalization is always well within the 90%, regardless of the study, regardless of the country," Dr. Fauci said in a recent interview with NPR, All Things Considered
Moderna
The Moderna vaccine requires two doses one month apart from each other with a 94.1% success rate in adults over 18 years old. A third booster dose is available to those at high risk for Covid-19. Side effects are possible but unlikely. Moderna ingredients include: Nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, PEG2000-DMG: 1,2-dimyristoyl-rac-glycerol, methoxypolyethylene glycol, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, BotaniChol® (non-animal origin cholesterol), SM-102: heptadecane-9-yl 8-((2-hydroxyethyl) (6-oxo-6-(undecyloxy) hexyl) amino) octanoate, sodium acetate, sucrose (basic table sugar), tromethamine, tromethamine hydrochloride, and acetic acid (the main ingredient in white household vinegar)
To make this simpler, let's split this into three main ingredients: mRNA, lipids, and salts and sugars. You might remember mRNA (messenger RNA) from high school biology- it carries the information needed to create proteins with ribosomes from DNA. The mRNA in the Moderna vaccine is used to build a protein that develops an immune response against any possible Covid-19 invasion. The lipids in the vaccine help the mRNA move toward and enter your body's cells. Finally, the various salts and sugars in the makeup of the vaccine keep it stable as it gets transported and shifted around until it reaches its final destination at a vaccine clinic. Some of these salts and sugars that you may already be familiar with are sucrose, acetic acid, and sodium acetate.
The Moderna vaccine is safe and has been authorized by the FDA for emergency use since December 18, 2020.
Pfizer
The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only one of its kind available to children from 12-17 years old. The company has also recently developed a version of the vaccine safe for children five and older. The main differences between Pfizer and Moderna are the time between doses and shipment requirements - both of which do not have a large impact on the general population. Pfizer only requires 21 days in between doses while Moderna requires 28. Its efficacy rate is very close to Moderna's- 95% compared to 94.1%.
The ingredients in the Pfizer vaccine are in the same categories as Moderna. The dose contains a combination of lipids, mRNA, salts, and sugars. All of the ingredients are nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, 2[(polyethylene glycol (PEG))-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, cholesterol (plant-derived), ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, Monobasic potassium phosphate, potassium chloride (common food salt), sodium chloride (basic table salt), and sucrose (basic table sugar).
As you can see, many of these ingredients are similar to Moderna's. The mRNA, lipids, and salts, and sugars all perform the same function. The Pfizer vaccine is safe and has been authorized by FDA for emergency use since December 13, 2020. Children aged 12-17 have been approved for the dose since May 10, 2021, and the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds was recently authorized for emergency use as of October 29, 2021.
Johnson & Johnson
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has had the most concerns over effectiveness and side effects, especially after the rare but dangerous development of blood clots in several vaccine recipients. The J & J vaccine only requires one dose but is also only 66% effective- significantly lower than Pfizer's and Moderna's efficacy rates.
Vaccine ingredients include: recombinant, replication-incompetent Ad26 vector, encoding a stabilized variant of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein, polysorbate-80, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, trisodium citrate dihydrate, sodium chloride (basic table salt), citric acid monohydrate (closely related to lemon juice), and ethanol (a type of alcohol). Just like Pfizer and Moderna, you may notice that you are already familiar with several of these ingredients. However, one key difference is that the J & J vaccine does not contain any mRNA. Instead, researchers used virus technology. The disabled adenovirus transports the information needed to fight Covid-19 to your cells. The lack of mRNA also means that lipids aren't needed to help transport it. There are still salts and sugars within the vaccine to keep it stable during packaging and transportation.
Although there are several differences between the J & J vaccine compared to Moderna and Pfizer, the FDA approved the vaccine on February 27, 2021.
Now that you know all there is to know about the three available vaccines, it's time to go out and get vaccinated! Most locations offer it for free when an appointment is made. Keep yourself, your friends, and your families safe by getting the Covid-19 vaccine today.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/janssen.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/07/08/1014214448/fauci-says-current-vaccines-will-stand-up-to-the-delta-varianttml
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