The covid vaccine drives are not moving at expected speeds. One main reason is that people have not signed up to get their COVID-19 vaccine due to the fear of long-term effects. On the contrary, COVID-19 vaccines don’t have any side effects in the long run. Here’s how we know it for sure.
Technologies used to make the covid vaccine are well studied and researched
There are two major types of vaccines available- mRNA vaccines and adenovector vaccines.
Vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna use messenger RNA (mRNA) to deliver a particular message to your immune system. The mRNA contains instructions on how to fight corona in case you contract the virus. Scientists have been working on mRNA vaccines for a long time. This technology is part of rabies, Zika, and even influenza vaccines. Additionally, they are an important part of cancer research.
Adenovector vaccines use a modified viral vector of a different virus to deliver these instructions to your immune system. The virus vector undergoes modification to ensure that it does not make us ill. For coronavirus, the vaccines contain adenovirus or common cold-causing virus as the vector. Why? Because it’s very similar to the coronavirus and causes flu-like symptoms. Adenovector vaccines have been around since the 1970s. Researchers have used it to treat Ebola, influenza, Zika, gene therapy, HIV, and cancer therapy.
Vaccine development takes time
COVID-19 vaccines went through several clinical trials and studies to back up claims. It got authorization for public use only after rigorous consideration and research. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the emergency authorization for the use of the vaccines after monitoring data as an added safety measure. In addition to that, vaccine manufacturers must report back with follow-up data including details on hospitalization, death, or allergic reaction.
Sure, there are things we don’t know about the new vaccines. We don’t know how long they will protect us or how effective they are against new variants of the virus. But, experts are confident that vaccines are safe in the long run.
