COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Explained

Introduction

Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines are scientific breakthroughs, boasting an efficacy rate of over 90%. However, their new technology raises skepticism amongst people who aren’t aware of the science behind the vaccine. Are these vaccines too good to be true?

According to the latest KFF survey, about 50 percent of Americans want to wait and watch, or avoid the vaccine at any cost. Is the vaccine safe? Does it target the DNA? How was it produced so fast if this is “new” technology?

On November 24th, 2020, the CDC released the following updates on their webpage, answering all of the aforementioned questions.

• COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been rigorously tested for safety

• mRNA technology is new, however they aren’t completely foreign - they have been studied for more than ten years

• mRNA vaccines do not contain a live virus, therefore, there is no risk of causing the disease.

• mRNA from the vaccine does NOT enter the nucleus of a cell and does not interact with DNA

mRNA Vaccine Mechanism

As the name suggests, the vaccines have mRNA strands, a type of genetic material. These strands are key to protein synthesis - it essentially translates code from DNA to RNA. This helps the ribosome, the synthesizer, create the correct protein. In layman’s terms, the mRNA is like a translator - it simply relays information.

The mRNA in the vaccine carries instructions to make a piece of the spike protein that is similar to the spike on COVID-19 (shown below). At this point, after the spike has been made on the cell surface, the mRNA is no longer needed. It doesn’t enter the nucleus at all during this process, so it can’t interact with the DNA. Additionally, it’s important to remember that the mRNA doesn’t do anything on its own - it just carries information. It cannot harm the individual because it isn’t capable of doing so.

After the protein is synthesized on the cell’s membrane (the surface), the protein triggers an immune response to fight off a fake “infection.” This response will create antibodies complementary to the COVID-19 virus.

Confused? Think of the cell like a chef’s kitchen. The cookbook is the DNA with instructions to make every single dish (protein) that the restaurant (person) could need. The mRNA, in this case, would be a recipe with instructions on how to make a single dish (protein). After the protein is made, the mRNA is no longer needed, so it is digested by enzymes.

Sources

1. “Understanding and Explaining MRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Nov. 2020, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/hcp/mrna-vaccine-basics.html.

2. Hamel, Liz, et.al, “KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: January 2021 - Vaccine Hesitancy.” KFF, 17 Feb. 2021, www.kff.org/report-section/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-january-2021-vaccine-hesitancy/