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How the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Works: The science, safety, and effectiveness put simply
An mRNA vaccine sounds very science-y. And it is. It relies on known science to produce immunity without ever needing to inoculate the body with dead virus. Pretty nifty.
Though mRNA vaccines are new, they have been studied for decades. Basically, once we know some key information about a virus, we can use that intel to produce an immune response. Here’s how it works.
Instead of putting a weakened or inactivated virus into the body like the more “traditional” vaccines do, mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, send in a set of instructions (the mRNA) to create a protein that will trigger an immune response inside the body.
Specifically, for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, the mRNA, housed in a fat molecule to keep it all nice and cozy and protected as it gets transported, enters cells and says, “Here are instructions to make the ‘spike protein.’ Please read them carefully and follow all the steps.” The cells do what cells do: They read the mRNA like you would read a recipe and then out pops a spike protein, which is totally harmless.
After that, the cell breaks down the mRNA, like ripping paper instructions, and trashes it. The mRNA never gets into the nucleus, so there are no chances of it interfering…
