Little-Known Facts About The COVID-19 Vaccine – Art of Healthy Living

After more than a year of waking up to terrible news alerts, many people stopped reading the latest COVID-19 updates. The world has begun to turn a corner as everyone signs up for vaccinations, but you may wonder if you know enough to feel confident about getting your shot.

This guide explains little-known facts about the COVID-19 vaccine so anyone can become fully informed before getting their life-saving vaccination.

1. It’s Not The First Coronavirus Vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccine broke production records and made its mark in scientific history. People may post about how they’re excited to get the first coronavirus vaccine, but it’s not exactly the first.

Coronavirus is a term for a family of virus strains that can affect both humans and animals, depending on which strain circulates within a community. Human strains cause mild upper-respiratory-tract infections like the common cold. Animal strains can be much more deadly, resulting in numerous vaccines for domestic and farm animals.

Those vaccines aren’t effective in humans because they can’t fight the different strains that affect people. But the diverse family of coronaviruses isn’t new to the scientific community.

2. Genetic Engineering Technology Already Existed

Pfizer and Moderna utilized mRNA genetic engineering to create the leading COVID-19 vaccines. The science appeared new and untested to many people watching the news, but it’s been around for decades. Katalin Karikó began studying mRNA’s ability to fight disease back in the 1980s.
Investors wouldn’t fund her research because they didn’t think it would work when put into practice, but the pandemic required scientists to investigate every option for vaccines. The scientific community couldn’t recognize the robust efficacy of mRNA vaccines until federal emergency funding made testing possible for Karikó’s research in 2020.

3. Numerous Businesses Are Still Involved

People think about brands like Pfizer and Moderna when they picture COVID-19 vaccines, but many other companies are working behind the scenes, too. Producing and shipping everything needed to vaccinate the global population requires all-hands-on-deck cooperation beyond research teams.
MECO produces pharmaceutical-grade water that helps create the vaccine and its supplies, like the syringes and packaging. Kuehne+Nagel began building COVID-19 vaccine hubs that maintain a sub-freezing temperature for airport storage before delivery drivers pick up each order.
Companies like these play a vital role in the supply chain that gets people the vaccinations they need for guaranteed immunity.

4. Side Effects May Not Occur

When the COVID-19 vaccine became available to the general population, everyone began sharing any side effects they experienced after getting their shot. People should know what they can expect, but it also created the idea that everyone would have mild to intense reactions.

Research shows that only 11.7% of people had side effects from their first dose and only 22% had them after their second dose. People are more likely to get vaccinated and feel perfectly fine than feel sick.
While it’s essential to learn about the side effects and know how to take care of yourself if you have a mild fever or headaches, they shouldn’t be a concern that stands between you and COVID-19 immunity.

5. Vaccination Won’t Give You COVID-19

Some people believe a COVID-19 vaccination will give you the disease. Although live-virus serums for the standard flu shot do exist, the COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain the virus even if you don’t get the mRNA shots.
The vaccine will boost your immune system by teaching your cells to identify and dismantle the spike protein that makes COVID-19 so deadly without exposing you to the virus itself.

Learn The Little-Known Facts About The COVID-19 Vaccine

Everyone’s heard about the COVID-19 vaccine, but there are still little-known facts you should learn about. Whether you’re considering getting vaccinated or already had your second shot, the vaccine will keep you safe because so many scientists and partners helped create and distribute it around the world.