Welcome to the new year, everyone! We’re excited about the possibilities this year has in store. And there’s so much more to be excited about.
One thing that’s coming in the coming months is the vaccine for COVID19, and we cannot wait to get vaccinated! Why are we so confident? Because we believe in science, in scientists and health professionals, and in biotechnology. We’re excited that this vaccine is coming.
We’ve found so many resources to help better understand the vaccine.
This video from TedEd is an amazing summary of how vaccines work: https://youtu.be/rb7TVW77ZCs
But the vaccines they are talking about are an older technology at this point. We’re still training the adaptive immune system, but we’re not relying on live attenuated pathogens (Weakened viruses), inactivated pathogens (Viruses that are no longer functional), or the traditional subunits of a pathogen (Purified components of a virus). Nor is it the DNA vaccine that was described in the video. Instead, a chemical cousin of DNA called RNA, specifically mRNA, is used. mRNA is the molecule our body uses to directly dictate the amino acid sequence of a protein (Sometimes called the primary structure, this is simply the order in which the parts are added to a growing protein) and is more direct in producing antigens, proteins that can be recognized by your immune system to invoke a response.
The guys at ASAP science made a great video to help explain this new type of vaccine: https://youtu.be/the81FQoAUI
So should you take the vaccine? The short answer is yes, but the more accurate answer is that most of us should get this, but some people might need to think twice. Individuals with an overactive immune system or that have had severe immune responses in the past might have negative reactions to the virus. That said, many, many vaccines have gone out and very few severe reactions have been reported. Most individuals have complained about pain or soreness.
Those individuals who CAN get vaccinated SHOULD get vaccinated. Reducing the spread of the virus not only will save lives, but it also reduces the chances that the virus will continue to mutate and adapt into a more dangerous version of itself. If you’re able to get the vaccine when it becomes available to you, you might want to consider it your duty to others to get the vaccine.
Plus, once we’re all vaccinated, maybe we can all meet up back in the lab! Until then, wear a mask, stay socially distant, and wash your hands thoroughly and often! And have a great winter!
