In the face of the pandemic, the development of the COVID-19 vaccine was a crucial step towards reaching the world we see today. In this article, we will delve into the mechanisms of the vaccine, along with the development and research process.
mRNA Vaccine:
Some of the most popular vaccines for COVID are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Both are mRNA vaccines, a type of vaccine that utilizes the cell's ability to produce proteins to create spike proteins that simulate a real infection. One of the benefits of this vaccine is that mRNA is naturally regarded as noninfectious, proving to have a higher level of safety than previous vaccines. However, there have been many reported side effects — one of them being Anaphylaxis, a very serious allergic reaction. However, this reaction is relatively rare, with it occurring 5 out of a million cases. The biggest issue with mRNA vaccines is their storage and transportation. Flequations or failure to meet certain criteria will cause a shift in vaccine efficiency.
Development of Vaccine:
The history of the COVID-19 vaccine is an interesting one. The speedy development of this vaccine was questioned upon release. Due to vaccines regularly taking five to ten years to develop, the question is: What exactly makes COVID different? This question has multiple answers, one of them being our current progress with vaccinology and our knowledge of coronavirus. Coronavirus isn’t just restricted to COVID-19, because it includes past pandemics such as SARS-CoV1 and MERS-CoV. Research that went into this coronavirus also contributed to the COVID-19. Another reason to consider is the funding. Due to the global scale of the pandemic, many researchers from all over the world contributed to the development and clinical trials of the vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccine was a combination of technological achievements. The collective contributions from countries all over the world and research made it possible — it is a testament to a collective global effort. Through the lessons learned, we can be better prepared if the world ever faces another pandemic.
References
Li, Maochen et al. “COVID-19 vaccine development: milestones, lessons and prospects.” Signal transduction and targeted therapy vol. 7,1 146. 3 May. 2022, doi:10.1038/s41392-022-00996-y
Menni, Cristina et al. “COVID-19 vaccine waning and effectiveness and side-effects of boosters: a prospective community study from the ZOE COVID Study.” The Lancet. Infectious diseases vol. 22,7 (2022): 1002-1010. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00146-3
Kuter, Barbara J et al. “The development of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States: Why and how so fast?.” Vaccine vol. 39,18 (2021): 2491-2495. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.077
Comments