The COVID-19 Vaccine Explained (By Neilia Bliss RN, Anatomy & Physiology Instructor)
Remember back to when you took biology and learned about the cell… do you recall learning about ribonucleic acid (RNA)? Well, just in case you need a refresher, that RNA is basically the molecule in the cell that carries the codes from the DNA in the nucleus to sites of protein synthesis in the cell. RNA’s main job is to act as the messenger and deliver instructions to make proteins, hence the reason you hear the term messenger RNA, or mRNA for short.
Chances are you’ve heard the term mRNA a bunch these days with the roll out of the new emergency use authorized COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA technology has been around since the 1990s, but the use of it for a vaccine is new. Previously, most vaccines used a weakened or inactivated germ that is placed in our body to create an immune response; mRNA vaccines, however, teach our cells how to make a piece of a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response produces antibodies and helps potentially protect us from getting infected if we encounter the real virus. According to the CDC website, “COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.” The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
It is certainly my hope that these vaccines, and others in development, are the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Please be sure to check out the CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services websites for valuable information.
List of 1 items.
-
We are a
Family of Families
3000 Barton Creek Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78735 (512) 328-2323
Associations
Nondiscrimination Policy
St. Gabriel’s Catholic School and St. Michael’s Catholic Academy do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, age, gender, national or ethnic origin in : (i) the admission of students; (ii) the offerings of rights, privileges, programs, or activities generally made available to their students; or (iii) the administration of educational policies, financial grant programs, athletic programs, employment practices or policies, or other school-administered programs.