COVID-19 vaccine types explained
How COVID-19 Vaccines Work
COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness.
Different types of vaccines work in different ways to offer protection. But with all types of vaccines, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future.
It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. Therefore, it is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and then gets sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.
After vaccination, the process of building immunity can sometimes cause symptoms, such as arm soreness, mild fever, tiredness, headaches, muscle or joint aches fever. These symptoms are typical and are signs that the body is building immunity.
Some people who have been vaccinated do not experience these symptoms, but this does not rule out the possibility of developing immunity.
Different types of vaccines work in different ways to offer protection. But with all types of vaccines, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future.
It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. Therefore, it is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and then gets sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.
After vaccination, the process of building immunity can sometimes cause symptoms, such as arm soreness, mild fever, tiredness, headaches, muscle or joint aches fever. These symptoms are typical and are signs that the body is building immunity.
Some people who have been vaccinated do not experience these symptoms, but this does not rule out the possibility of developing immunity.
Types of Vaccines
There are currently three main types of vaccines developed for COVID-19.
Below is a description of how each type of vaccine prompts our bodies to recognize and protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19. Unfortunately, none of these vaccines can give you COVID-19.
Below is a description of how each type of vaccine prompts our bodies to recognize and protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19. Unfortunately, none of these vaccines can give you COVID-19.
• mRNA vaccines contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19 that gives our cells instructions for making a harmless protein unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are now functioning on this mechanism.
• Protein subunit vaccines include harmless pieces (proteins) of the virus that causes COVID-19 instead of the entire germ. Once vaccinated, our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and antibodies that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future. The Novovac vaccine currently has a similar mechanism.
• A vaccine that renders the virus fully inactive. Coronavac, Sinovac, and Sinopharm vaccines all have a similar mode of action at the moment.
• Vector vaccines contain a modified version of a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19. Inside the shell of the modified virus, there is material from the virus that causes COVID-19. This is called a “viral vector.” Once the viral vector is inside our cells, the genetic material gives cells instructions to make a unique protein to the virus that causes COVID-19. Using these instructions, our cells make copies of the protein. This prompts our bodies to build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus if we are infected in the future. ¹
Reference list
1 Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work (n.d.) Retrieved July 23, 2021