Want to know if the vaccines contain the COVID virus? Here are the four different ways they have been developed.
More than 240 vaccines are being developed to combat COVID-19, and many are manufactured using different technology. The first vaccines approved used in the US for emergency use mRNA vaccines which do not contain any virus cells. These do not alter your DNA in any way, they simply take advantage of the latest scientific research to teach your cells safely and effectively to produce antibodies when the virus is present. Other vaccines being developed are more traditional, and do use a piece of the virus. However, none of those have been approved for emergency use yet. Another model for vaccines development is either using inactivate, dead, or weaken virus. All of these various methods induce the body’s immune system to produce antibodies, with varying efficacy.
The scientific journal Nature has an infographic guide on how these vaccines work. Research America goes further in explaining the breakdown of each manufacture development, and the Milken Institute lists all of the manufacturers, and what phase they are in as we seek to vaccinate to the world.
Nature: The race for coronavirus vaccines (a graphical guide)
Research America: Types of Vaccines
Milken Institute: COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine Tracker
