Reflecting on the history and evolution of vaccines there is an inevitability, both then and now … Vaccines must be safe. It is the only way for vaccines to continue to be successful in the United States. Vaccines have a long history of advancement and have saved many lives. In the past, many people have experienced and endured the devastating effects of preventable diseases and viruses such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough. However, vaccines have been successful in eliminating outbreaks such as the smallpox virus and polio.
Our best defense against sudden and irrepressible viruses and diseases are vaccinations The truth is that everyone’s body reacts differently to vaccines, so no vaccine is 100% safe or effective. Still, the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks.
Vaccines are extensively tested in laboratories and with human subjects to ensure their safety. After these investigations the vaccines are tested on animals. The FDA requires that before vaccines can be licensed to us in the general public they must go through three phases of clinical trials with human subjects. This year the Coronavirus (COVID-19) took the world by storm, inflicting paranoia, pain and loss on many. As schools, businesses and travel around the country were closed due to the outbreak, we are left with many questions: Will there be a vaccine? Is it safe? How did it come out so fast? – COVID-19 vaccines are currently licensed and recommended for use in the United States. The most important part is understanding each vaccine and the process that went into creating it so quickly. The government financially helped pharmaceutical companies so that developers could focus solely on the COVID-19 virus. Vaccines aim to expose the body to an antigen that does not cause disease, but elicits an immune response that can kill the virus if the body becomes infected.
MRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. This immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from becoming infected if the real virus enters our body. DNA and RNA can be considered as cousins. The way the vaccine works is that our cells are made up of messenger RNA. Vaccines produce a protein spike in our bodies. Large-scale (phase 3) clinical trials are being conducted or planned for three COVID-19 vaccines, one of which is Moderna’s mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine.
Getting vaccinated is one of many steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Protection against COVID-19 is vitally important because for some people it can cause serious illness or death. To stop a pandemic it is necessary to use all available tools.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit: cdc.gov
This information was originally posted on cdc.gov.
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