What’s in a COVID-19 vaccine? It’s a question many people can’t answer, and as a result, some are unlikely to take it. The age old advice “If you can’t read it, don’t eat it” seems to be one of the most common reasons.
Today, we’ve gathered some information from across various sources to determine exactly WHAT is in a vaccine, specifically, a COVID-19 vaccine.
What’s in the Pfizer Vaccine?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended for people aged 16 years and older as of March 1, 2021. There are ongoing trials to ascertain the safety and effectiveness for children as well. The Pfizer vaccine needs two shots, one for priming, and the second as a booster, 21 days apart.
How Effective? The Pfizer vaccine showed efficacy of 95% at preventing symptomatic Covid infection after two doses. Immunity builds up in a week or two after your second shot.
Active Ingredient: Nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2
What Does That Mean? mRNA is the protein-making template that acts in a cell’s cytoplasm, not inside the nuclease. That means that it doesn’t alter your DNA. Scientists, using modRNA, can leverage the mRNA system combined with the genetic code for the SARS-CoV-2 protein spikes (pretty much harmless on their own) to make an effective vaccine- without actually giving you the virus itself.
Other Ingredients: Some salts, like potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phospate, sodium chloride (table salt), and basic sodium phospate dihydrate. All of these are to maitan stable levels of pH, four types of fats, like cholesterol, as well as sucrose (plant sugar) to protect the vaccine when it’s frozen.
The vaccine does not contain eggs, preservatives, latex, or microchips.
Side Effects: Common side effects include pain and swelling in injection area, some fever, chills, tiredness, and headache. Some side effects may increase in the second (booster) dose. Side effects should go away in a few days.
What’s in the Moderna Vaccine?
The Moderna vaccine is recommended for people aged 18 and older, as if March 1, 2021. Trials have begun trying to make sure the vaccine is safe for younger people, as well. The Moderna vaccine needs two shots, one for priming, and the second as a booster, 28 days apart.
How Effective? “Based on evidence from clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 illness in people who received two doses who had no evidence of being previously infected”
Active Ingredient: mRNA technology to build antibodies against covid-19 (sound familiar? Because it uses the same tech as the Pfizer vaccine!)
Lipids:
- SM-102
- 1,2-dimyristoyl-rac-glycero3-methoxypolyethylene glycol-2000 [PEG2000-DMG]
- cholesterol
- 1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine [DSPC]
Lipids help deliver the vaccine to the cells, and are pretty harmless.
Acids: Acetic Acid
Acid Stabilizers: Tromethamine & Tromethamine hydrochloride
Salts: Sodium acetate
Sugar: Sucrose
Does not contain: Eggs, preservatives, latex, or microchips.
Side Effects: Common side effects include pain and swelling in injection area, some fever, chills, tiredness, and headache. Some side effects may increase in the second (booster) dose. Side effects should go away in a few days.
Both the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology to build up antibodies to the virus without actually transmitting any form of it.
What’s in the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 has received emergency use approval from the FDA. As of March 1, 2021, it’s the only single-use vaccine approved in the United States.
How effective? In clinical trials, a single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine appears to be 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 and 85% effective at preventing severe disease. Immunity builds up in a week or two after your second shot.
How It Works: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine works by “using a weakened live pathogen as the delivery method for transporting a recombinant vaccine for COVID-19”, according to verywellhealth.com.
Recombinant vaccines use small pieces of genetic material from the virus to trigger an immune response, fortifying the defense system. This genetic material does not replicate, meaning the virus will not lead to a case of COVID-19.
The science behind these kinds of vaccines have been around for years, and are used in flu vaccines as well.
Side Effects: The most common reactions after the vaccine was administered included injection site pain, fatigue, headaches, some swelling, and some muscle aches. More severe reactions are extremely uncommon, as of 3/1/2021, no serious safety concerns have been reported.
Update April 13, 2021: The CDC and FDA have released a joint statement on possible links between the J&J vaccine and extremely rare blood clots. They recommend a “pause,” and are holding a press conference Wednesday, 4/14/2021. 6 out of the over 6 million vaccinated in the United States have been reported to develop blood clots.
Update April 24, 2021: The CDC, FDA, and scientific advisors have decided to lift the 11 day pause of J&J’s vaccinations after reaching the conclusion that the benefits outweigh the rare risks, but doses should have clear warnings about blood clots.
Vaccines in Third Phase Clinical Trials
As of February 27, 2021, large-scale (Phase 3) clinical trials are in progress or being planned for two COVID-19 vaccines in the United States: The AstraZeneca vaccine, and the Novavax vaccine. Both have been approved in various other countries.
Update April 13, 2021: The AstraZeneca vaccine has been restricted in some countries due to possible (but extremely unlikely) links to blood clots.
Conclusion
The three different approved vaccines have all been granted emergency use approval by the FDA, and have been determined to pose no significant danger.
Update April 13, 2021: The CDC and FDA have released a joint statement on possible links between the J&J vaccine and blood clots. They recommend a “pause,” and are holding a press conference Wednesday, 4/14/2021. Among the over 6 million vaccinated in the United States, six have reported blood clots being investigated currently.
Common side effects of all of them include rashes, headaches, injection site pain, tiredeness, and muscle aches. Applying a clean, cool, wet washcloth to the area or excesising the arm which recieved the shot, and drinking fluids can all help minimize those side effects. Most go away within days of the injection.
Immunity builds up over time, meaning that you have likely not reached full protection normally until a week of the shot, or second shot in the case of moderna and pfizer.
The best vaccine to take is whichever you are offered. All three of these vaccines are very effective at preventing severe cases of COVID-19, and will increase immunity.
Fully vaccinated people should still wear masks when interacting with non-vaccinated people.
It’s still unclear whether asymptomatic cases of covid-19 are fully prevented with the vaccines.