Understanding mRNA Vaccines
Disclaimer: I am not an infectious disease or immunology specialist. I have also received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. I do not have any financial interest in any vaccine maker. This is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. The speed in which a vaccine was developed against SARS-CoV-2 was astounding. This was possible thanks to a relatively new technology utilizing messenger RNA. In this article I will attempt to explain how the vaccine works and some considerations for those who may be hesitant to receive the vaccine. I am writing this in part because I was skeptical of this vaccine technology when I first heard about it last year. In order to fully understand the relative risks and benefits and mRNA vaccines in the current pandemic, I think it is important to have a little background on the virus that causes COVID, SARS-CoV-2. I will try my best to avoid jargon and explain the concepts as clearly as possible.