
Part of this variation is from inconsistency in the way that Americans think and talk about race and ethnicity. Once we begin to explore more deeply the ways in which data on the elderly population are collected, however, we discover inconsistency across data sets and time. Most researchers generally agree that these categories are primarily social constructions that have changed and will continue to change over time. To the extent possible, recent research has attempted to identify and compare subgroups within each of the major racial and ethnic groups, making distinctions by country of origin, nativity, and generation within the United States. Most Americans and nearly all researchers are also aware that these general categories disguise significant heterogeneity within each of these major groups. Most Americans and most researchers have in mind a general categorical scheme that includes whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and American Indians. At one level there is a good deal of consistency in data collection. Our picture of racial and ethnic disparities in the health of older Americans is strongly influenced by the methods of collecting data on race and ethnicity. As soon as the necessary information about the virus that causes COVID-19 was available, scientists began designing the mRNA instructions for cells to build the unique spike protein into an mRNA vaccine.įuture mRNA vaccine technology may allow for one vaccine to provide protection against multiple diseases, thus decreasing the number of shots needed for protection against common vaccine-preventable diseases.īeyond vaccines, cancer research has used mRNA to trigger the immune system to target specific cancer cells.Gary D. MRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). This means vaccines can be developed and produced in large quantities faster than with other methods for making vaccines. Interest has grown in these vaccines because they can be developed in a laboratory using readily available materials. Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. mRNA Vaccines Are Newly Available to the Public But Have Been Studied for Decades While COVID-19 vaccines were developed rapidly, all steps have been taken to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Any temporary discomfort experienced after getting the vaccine is a natural part of the process and an indication that the vaccine is working. The benefit of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is that those vaccinated gain this protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19.
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At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection from the virus that causes COVID-19.This is what your body might do to fight off the infection if you got sick with COVID-19. This triggers our immune system to produce antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. Our immune system recognizes that the protein doesn’t belong there. Next, our cells display the spike protein piece on their surface.After the protein piece is made, our cells break down the mRNA and remove it. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. The mRNA will enter the muscle cells and instruct the cells’ machinery to produce a harmless piec e of what is called the spike protein. First, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle.That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies. Instead, mRNA vaccines use mRNA created in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein-or even just a piece of a protein-that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. mRNA vaccines are some of the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized and approved for use in the United States. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are messenger RNA vaccines – also called mRNA vaccines. If you received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you should get the same product when you need another shot. COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable.However, researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. mRNA vaccines are newly available to the public.Like all vaccines, mRNA vaccines benefit people who get vaccinated by giving them protection against diseases like COVID-19 without risking the serious consequences of getting sick.Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies.
