How the COVID-19 Vaccines Work
Sarah James (BSN, RN) is Stride’s Community Manager. Prior to Stride, she was an Operating Room Nurse at a level one trauma hospital in Denver, Colorado, and specialized in orthopedic trauma and sports medicine procedures. She has degrees in public health and nursing.
Without getting too technical, the COVID-19 vaccines created by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna work with one goal in mind: to help your body recognize and attack the COVID-19 virus. Both are a new type of vaccine called Messenger RNA (or mRNA) vaccines, which unlike traditional vaccines don’t put the actual virus into your body, they just give your body the instructions on how to recognize and fight off the virus. None of the vaccines can give you COVID-19.
First, let’s talk about what viruses—specifically coronaviruses—are and how they work. Simply put, viruses are little pieces of information that have one purpose: to replicate themselves. They do this by hijacking your cells and overwriting their instructions, telling your cells to reproduce the virus cells. Coronaviruses are a type of virus that have sharp bumps on their surface, called spike proteins. These spike proteins work like lock-picks that gain entry into your cells.
But these spike proteins also give the coronavirus a unique shape, like a hat that makes it stand out from other cells. The COVID-19 vaccines teach our body how to recognize the unique shape of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and protect our bodies from it.
Imagine you own a pizza shop, and a detective walks in and hands you a sketch of a person who’s been dining-and-dashing at restaurants in your neighborhood. You show the sketch to everyone who works in your restaurant and tell them to be on the lookout for this person and, if that person shows up, refuse them service. The sketch doesn’t cause any harm to your restaurant, but it does help your employees be prepared to recognize the suspect and ask them to leave.
That’s how the COVID-19 vaccines work: it’s like handing a sketch of the virus to your immune system, so your antibodies—the cells that fight off infections — can recognize the COVID-19 coronavirus and prevent it from attaching itself to your cells.
That’s because, as we mentioned earlier, the COVID-19 vaccines are newer types of vaccines called mRNA vaccines that work a little differently than traditional vaccines. Many vaccines put a weakened or inactive germ into our bodies to trigger an immune response. But not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they teach our bodies how to make a harmless protein that wears the same unique hat that the COVID-19 coronavirus wears, so our body is ready to recognize and deal with the COVID-19 coronavirus if it ever enters our system.
Let’s cover a few frequently asked questions.
Will the COVID-19 vaccine give me COVID?
No. The vaccine tells your body how to identify and attack the coronavirus, but it does not contain the actual virus. Think back to our analogy earlier—the detective brought in a sketch of the suspect, but he does not bring the actual suspect into your shop.
Are there any side effects with getting the vaccine?
Some people have reported mild side effects with both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, including:
Pain and swelling where you got the shot
Tiredness
Headache
Chills
Fever
Muscle pain
Feeling unwell
These side effects are temporary and should go away in a few days. If you experience these side effects, don’t worry—it means your immune system is responding the way it should! You can learn more about the Pfizer vaccine here and the Moderna vaccine here.
If I have already had COVID-19, do I still need to get the vaccine?
Yes! Since re-infection is totally possible, it’s still recommended that you receive a vaccine once it becomes available to you.
Will COVID-19 mess with my DNA?
No. The COVID vaccines don’t interact with your DNA in any way.
Is the vaccine safe if I’m pregnant or thinking about having a baby?
Yes. Based on what experts know, the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t interfere with a person’s ability to try to become pregnant in the short or long term. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that people who are trying to become pregnant should get the vaccine once it’s available to them. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that women who are currently pregnant should receive the COVID-19 vaccination to minimize risks to themselves and their pregnancy.
Have more questions or want to do more research? Check out the CDC’s COVID-19 hub here.
