There is an avalanche of rapidly changing information about Covid vaccines out there and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. In the mix are also some claims being made that are based on distorted information. Because of this, I felt it was necessary to offer a quick overview in plain language. This is longer than I’d like but I think you will find it useful.

Claim: We’ve lost the battle the variants are going to get us all.

It’s not that dismal. Variants are like typos made while the virus is making copies of itself. Most of the changes are minor and the current vaccines are expected to grant protection to them. However, it does need to be tracked so if there is a challenging one we know about it.

Last Wednesday the Director of the CDC working with Dr. Fauci announced an organized multi-agency attack strategy: 1) slow down the amount of virus in circulation by increasing the public’s focus on their role ie. masking/social distancing etc 2) limit available hosts by increasing the rate of vaccinations 3) increase sampling of viruses across the country to tag and sequence variants in order to respond effectively. A month ago sampling was at 250 a week, now it is at 750 weeks the goal is 6000 a week.

The UK variant is the most concerning right now and the only way to avoid a fourth deadly surge (and the shutdowns that come with them) is for as many people to be vaccinated as quickly as possible. Vaccine supply lines have been ramped up and you can expect to hear about FEMA mass vaccinations sites.

There is a debate about making first shots available to everybody with the 2nd shot distributed as quickly as possible. This will likely spawn more suspicion amongst those already resistant to getting the vaccine. However, I think if people understand the vaccines and how they work they will be more comfortable getting vaccinated as soon as possible.

So here you go, as clean and quick as I can explain it. Please scroll down to the bottom for a link explaining all the vaccine’s effectiveness ratings again the original virus and the key variants.

How vaccines work

The first vaccine was created in the 1790s when a “pox”-like a virus that was not as deadly as smallpox was introduced into people to trigger an immune response. This was a live virus and likely made people sick but the immunity it left behind meant the smallpox virus was survivable.

Since then vaccines have always worked by introducing something to the body that was similar enough to the dangerous virus that the triggered immunity response would protect against the REAL virus. The goal has always been to survive a viral attack. So even if the virus was able to build up enough in your system to trigger symptoms you would not be in danger of dying.

When you hear Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are rated about 95% effective, this means 95% of the time if infected you will not get any symptoms of the disease. These vaccines come in two doses and the reason for the debate over getting everybody’s first dose complete is because the newest data shows people are at 90% effectiveness after the first dose. The second dose lengthens the immunity window to six months.

Some people after the second shot feel the symptoms of illness. However, these are not Covid symptoms. They have the symptoms anybody would have from fighting any foreign invader. This is because the vaccine does not introduce the virus’s genetic material into their body. This has led some to make a very confusing claim.

Claim: The vaccines don’t really give you immunity to Covid

This misleading claim is very much splitting hairs. Due to the scientific advances of the last 230 years, it is no longer necessary to use live viruses or dead viruses to trigger an immune response. With genius precision, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use that signature spike on the exterior of the virus as the agent that triggers immunity.

Technically you are not building immunity to the virus’s genetic code BUT that envelope with the spikes is the part of the virus that gets it into your body and your cells. The proteins that make up the spikes and envelope around Covid is the “corona” that makes it a corona-virus.

The vaccines are made up of mRNA (a nucleotide that normally interacts with DNA) that has been coded to produce the Covid spike protein once it is in your cell. This has led some to make the next confusing claim.

Claim: The vaccines permanently change your DNA and should be classified as gene therapy.

If you understand the cellular structure and how mRNA works then you know this is not happening.

Your genetic code is stored in your DNA. Your DNA is stored in the nucleus of your cells. mRNA is a messenger nucleotide that copies and carries DNA code outside of the nucleus to have it built inside the cell (the cytoplasm) but outside of the inner sanctum that stores DNA (the nucleus).

To use scientific wording the mRNA “transcribes” DNA code by making a copy of it and then exits the nucleus to “translate” the messenger code into the necessary protein. When its task is finished the mRNA is broken down. When mRNA moves out of the nucleus it is a one-way trip.

The mRNA-based vaccines are using mRNA coded to produce the proteins that create the signature spike on the outside of Covid. Once in your cells your body runs the mRNA protocol, as usual, it creates the spike protein and then breaks down the mRNA. The mRNA from the vaccine never comes in contact with your DNA.

Your cell produces the spike protein by your immune system immediately recognizes it as foreign and creates antibodies to destroy it. It’s a genius because your immune system gets trained to defend against the virus without ever introducing the virus’s genetic material into your body. This creates an additional layer of safety when vaccinating against very dangerous diseases. Also as long as scientists can get the necessary code by sequencing variants they can quickly design booster shots to address the more dangerous ones.

However, if mRNA vaccines still make you squeamish there will soon be other options.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine offers the old-school approach

If you are still not comfortable with the mRNA-based vaccines J&J and the two others cued up to release behind it are using viral genetic material to trigger immunity. Johnson & Johnson uses the envelope of a common virus (one that causes the common cold) like a Trojan horse.

Inside the envelope, they have inserted dead coronavirus DNA. This vaccine is sturdier and one dose is all that is needed.

If you are trying to do a mass vaccination this is an easier way to do it. This vaccine is rated at 70% effective. Meaning 70% of the time you would develop zero symptoms of the disease and should you develop symptoms it would not be deadly.

Which is better?

In my opinion, all are good because the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The UK variant not only spreads faster it now is clear it is a least slightly more deadly. So I recommend you get whatever one is available to you first. That way whatever variant pops up your immune system will have prior training in how to keep you out of the hospital.

Already the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been effective against the UK variant and the South African variant to a slightly lesser degree (80%). Data on the Brazillian variant is not yet available.

For a complete rundown of the efficacy of all vaccines in use see here How The COVID-19 Vaccines Compare To Each Other

Sources.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/acam2000-smallpox-vaccine-questions-and-answers#:~:text=The%20vaccine%20stimulates%20a%20person's,exposure%20to%20smallpox%20ever%20occurs.

https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12985-019-1182-0