[Info-vax] Vaccines, COVID-19

[Dave Froble]

On 3/4/2021 1:21 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2021-03-04 17:42:19 +0000, Dave Froble said:
>
>> Not that this is the best venue for a biology lesson, but I'm curious,
>> what exactly are you saying?
>>
>> I've never really thought about it, I just figured that training the
>> immune system to fight off specific diseases when incurred is
>> "vaccination".  Isn't that what the various covid-19 "vaccinations" do?
>
> All of what are being offered for CoV-19 are vaccines.
>
> There are different types of vaccines, and long have been different types.
>
> All vaccines are intended to provoke an immune response.
>
> An intro to available vaccine types: https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/types
>
> mRNA has been known and studied for many years.
>
> In most organisms, mRNA causes the encoded proteins to be created.
>
> An mRNA vaccine is something that only just became practical to create
> and to mass-produce.
>
> At least two of the vaccines use mRNA encoding that causes cells to
> first construct a little-varying and non-infectious part of CoV-19 known
> as the "spike" protein.
>
> The presence of the "spike" protein is then noticed by and provokes an
> immune system response.
>
> The immune response then reduces the severity of a subsequent CoV-19
> infection, as the CoV-19 "spike" protein is recognized by the immunized
> immune system.
>
> Or in other words, a vaccination.
>
> There's at least one anti-malarial saRNA vaccine—which is akin to mRNA,
> but that it also causes self-amplifies and causes mRNA to be created—in
> development. And then there's CRISPR, but I digress.
>
> TL;DR: get a COVID-19 vaccination. Whatever is available. COVID-19
> infection and spread is not a good alternative.
>
>

Thank you Steve, pretty much as I understood things.

I've read that the mRNA technique may offer the chance of better flu 
shots down the road.

One rather important note, just because someone has been vaccinated, 
does not mean he/she cannot shed the virus, and infect others.  All the 
vaccine does is fight off the virus, it does not stop your body from 
being infected, and then possibly infect others.

Getting my second shot on the 12th.

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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