Hi Net Neighbors!
Welcome to Word Around the Block where we can take a deeper dive into topics. Today’s topic is one many of you may have some reservations about; the COVID-19 vaccine. Now why do I think you may be worried about this, because I was. Vaccines normally take ages to figure out, it took Jonas Sulk seven years to crack the Polio vaccine. To hear them make a vaccine in months or even weeks, well that shook me.
Yet we should not allow a fear to hold us back, that is the whole point of this place. Instead we need to do some research. Don’t worry, I’ll break this down for you.
What is a vaccine?
When we are tackling a big topic it’s good to look at where we’ve been. Knowing the past of something can help us understand it’s present. So we start at what a vaccine is. At its most basic, a vaccine is a thing designed to make your body immune to a particular virus.
Vaccines have been in use, in their modern form, since the 1790s. Their foundations are even older, dating back at least to the 10th century in China. Be it via an injection or inhaled, the result has been the same, expose someone to a less potent version of the disease. This gave their body an idea of what to fight so when a worse version came through it wasn’t surprised.
Since then, we’ve been using variations on that theme, giving people something that causes our body to create a wall of defense.
That brings us to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The technology behind the COVID-19 vaccine has been in development for years, only not for COVID. The technology , known as RNA vaccines, was in development since the 1990s to combat plagues and cancer. Yes, you read that right, the underlying technology was developed, in part, to treat cancer.
Now we’re not talking radiation or anything of the sort. RNA vaccines still make use of your body’s natural immune system. So let’s see how it does this.
RNA vaccines at work
Imagine a ball. Some of you might have pictured a baseball, others a football, and so on. I’m picturing a neon green tennis ball and for this, I want you to imagine it too. Now at any point in life you can be hit by a ball, just as you can get sick from a virus.
Now normally, to get protection from a virus we have to throw a lighter copy of the ball at you. The ball hits, your body goes ow, and it learns to protect you from the next ball. That’s how normal vaccines work.
With an RNA vaccine, scientists can tell your body about the ball you’re going to get hit with without throwing it at you. They can tell your immune cells about the neon green fuzz on the outside. Now that your cells know to look out for it, they can protect you from the moment the ball heads your way.
This gives RNA vaccines a huge advantage over other types, speed. To come up with an effective vaccine with other methods scientists have to make huge amounts of the weaker virus. This slows production time while increases the possibility of accidentally releasing a second virus. An RNA vaccine can be made quickly in huge quantities, the only downside is that needs to stay cold during transport.
So what’s the main point?
That the vaccine is safe. Yes it was developed quickly, but that speed came about because the technology had been in development for years. Think about the smart phone. Mobile phones had been around for years, suddenly Apple makes the iPhone and then everything revolves around these computers in our pockets and purses.
Now to show you that I am more than just talk, I got my first dose of the Pfizer Vaccine today. And while my arm is sore as all get out, I’m glad I got it. That soreness means I’m becoming protected against this thing that has kept us all scared for a year now.
I hope all this has a positive impact on you and your decision to take the vaccine. Now if you have any questions regarding it and YOUR health ask your doctor, they are the best position to know.
Until next time, have fun, find adventure, and stay safe.