Getting the Covid-19 vaccine – answers to some frequently asked questions
EL PASO, Texas -- As more El Pasoans receive the Covid-19 vaccine, you may have questions about the vaccine itself and how it works in your body. ABC-7 asked Dr. Neha Sharma, medical director of The Hospitals of Providence Northeast and Horizon City campuses, to provide some extra perspective.
WHAT MAKES THE COVID-19 VACCINE DIFFERENT THAN SAY, A FLU VACCINE?
Dr. Sharma: "Many vaccines inject a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies in order to trigger an immune response. Not mRNA (Messenger RNA) vaccines. They are a new type of vaccine. Once injected, our immune cells are instructed to make a harmless piece of what is called the "spike protein". This protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. Once this protein is made, the cell breaks down the instructions and gets rid of them. Next, the cell displays the protein piece on its surface and our immune systems recognizes that this protein doesn't belong there and begins building an immune response and making antibodies. These antibodies protect us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies."