Why the Covid Vaccine Works on New

Highly Infectious Strains

By Isabella Newman

The mRNA vaccines developed by Pfitzer and Moderna have been proven to protect
against the new, more infectious strain of covid called B.1.1.7. that recently emerged in the UK
and traveled to the USA. To test if the strength of the vaccines was affected by the new
mutations in the coronavirus, volunteers gave blood samples. These were then put in with
similar viruses to covid and observed. Fortunately, the antibodies still recognized the viruses
and killed them, providing evidence that the vaccine is still effective.

Many of the new mutations in the coronavirus change the spike protein. Some change
the spike protein’s ability to latch onto cells, others change the ability of the antibodies to latch
onto it. So, do they change the effectiveness of the vaccines? The answer to this question is no,
at least not significantly. In order for the coronavirus to mutate enough that it totally evades the
immune system, it would have to mutate many times over a few years. This is because the
immune system has a large stockpile of different specialized antibodies that can tackle a large
number of different protein configurations. This means that while you might have to get a covid
shot every few years or even every year, Covid won’t spontaneously become immune to your
system. In addition to this, mRNA vaccines are really simple to change quickly when they are
being produced because the strands of mRNA are able to be swapped out fairly easily.

The mRNA vaccines consist of two main parts. There is the mRNA that tells the
ribosomes what protein to make, and the lipids which help the mRNA survive much longer. After
the vaccine is injected, the lipids and mRNA diffuse into your cells. The ribosomes read the
mRNA and produce a protein, in this case the spike protein on the coronavirus. Once enough of
the proteins are made, they attract the attention of the immune system. Antibodies latch onto
the proteins, attracting more immune cells. Once all the proteins are destroyed, the immune
system stops fighting. The purpose of fighting the proteins is so when your body is invaded by
the real virus, it can go straight to attacking it without having to make the correct antibodies first.
And, this type of vaccine can’t get you sick because it does not contain the whole virus!

In conclusion, the covid vaccine remains effective for at least a year, we think. Even after
it mutates, it can still be defeated. We can change the vaccine as needed, and it can not infect
us. If we stay cautious until we have herd immunity, then we can beat this pandemic, and it will
become a thing of the past in history textbooks. So stay distanced, wear a mask, and get the
vaccine once you are able. This will end soon.

If you would like more detailed information, here are some sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-variant-vaccine-pfizer-biontech-works-uk-st
udy-2021-1
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/health/coronavirus-britain-variant.html
https://www.popsci.com/story/health/how-mrna-vaccine-works/