Pfizer’s second shot is given three weeks after the first one Moderna’s is spaced four weeks later. The idea is that the first shot primes the immune system, helping it recognize the virus, and the second shot strengthens the immune response. Both vaccines continue to require cold storage - any approval of the vaccines is based on the data generated during the trials, and so the same conditions need to be met. The Moderna vaccine was kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus four degrees Fahrenheit), which is more like a regular freezer. In the clinical trials, the Pfizer vaccine was kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit), which requires storage in dry ice. Weakened or inactive versions of a virus can remain stable longer without requiring low temperatures. This has not been nearly as much of a concern with conventional vaccines. But vaccines may need to be kept stable for days or even weeks before they are administered. In the body, this isn’t a problem because RNA does not need to exist long in order to carry out its function. RNA breaks down easily and quickly unless it is kept at low temperatures. It’s an amazing scientific accomplishment to be where we are right now.īack to top Why do mRNA vaccines need to be stored at such low temperatures? Vaccine development has traditionally been measured on the timeframe of a decade. The advantage of mRNA technology compared with conventional approaches is that it allows for faster development and scale-up of production. These are the first messenger RNA vaccines to be produced and tested in large-scale phase 3 human trials. The COVID-19 vaccine does not expose you to the virus that causes COVID-19.īack to top Have there been other mRNA vaccines? Therefore, there is no truth to the myth that somehow the mRNA vaccine could inactivate the genes that suppress tumors. ![]() The mRNA does not enter the nucleus of the cell - the part that contains your DNA. The mRNA is fragile and it delivers the instructions to your cells to make antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. MRNA is not the same as DNA and cannot be combined with DNA to change your genetic code. ![]() None of the vaccines interact with or alter your DNA in any way, and therefore cannot cause cancer. The immune system recognizes this protein and begins producing antibodies that can fight the virus if the vaccinated person is later infected. When the vaccine is injected into the upper arm, the mRNA enters cells near the site of the injection and tells the cells to start making the same protein that is found in the COVID-19 virus. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, like the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, teach cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response if someone gets infected. Traditional vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. ![]() How do COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines work? Memorial Sloan Kettering infectious disease specialist Tobias Hohl discusses the technology of mRNA vaccines. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty®) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax™) use messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) to stimulate an immune response that can protect against future infection.
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