Covid Vaccine

In the fight against the crisis caused by COVID-19, one of the strongest tools many are turning toward is a vaccine. While there are a variety of ways these vaccines can help our bodies fight a COVID-19 infection, the two most prominent vaccines in the United States are what are known as RNA vaccines. This vaccine contains RNA from the COVID-19 virus that causes the cells in the human body to create a protein mimicking those that cause a COVID infection; the immune system can then create a response plan that not only teaches the human body how to identify a COVID-19 virus, but also how to destroy it. The RNA vaccine essentially contains the blueprints for the COVID-19 virus; the body acts as sort of a 3D printer, creating a protein that mimics the shape of the COVID virus, allowing the immune system to train itself for how to fight off a real infection.

In the United States, the two major vaccines being used have a 95-96% efficacy rate. When tested against the first discovered variant of the COVID-19 virus, both of these vaccines were found to offer significant protection; when tested against the second discovered variant, though, the effectiveness decreased dramatically. It is because of this that a vaccine is unlikely to be a solution in and of itself; people around the world, whether vaccinated or not, are going to need to implement other protective measures for an extended period of time to ensure the maximum number of people are kept safe from both the initial presentation of the COVID-19 virus, but also from any genetic variants that may emerge in the near future.