So You Got the Vaccine?

Here’s why you still can’t hug Grandma

Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash, cropped by the author.

Whenever I’m confused about some complex science topic, I like to write about it because then I understand it better. I hope to break this topic down a bit because some of the information and medical jargon is difficult to wade through. I trust the medical folks here will correct me if I’m off base. (Please and thanks.)

In plain language, in a healthy body, DNA holds genetic instructions, and the proteins do the work of carrying them out. Cells produce all kinds of proteins all the time to perform various functions; including growth, biochemical reactions such as digestion and blood clotting, hormonal functions, providing immunity and energy, etc.

The mRNA vaccines are actually designed to tweak the code of your DNA so that a new set of instructions (via mRNA) is sent to your cells so that they produce a particular protein. In Moderna’s words, “We have developed proprietary technologies and methods to create mRNA sequences that cells recognize as if they were produced in the body.” In the case of the current vaccines, the newly created protein protects your body from the disease called COVID-19.

NOTE: The vaccine does not actually prevent you from being infected by the virus itself (SARS-CoV-2), only the effects of it on your body. So you may actually receive and…