A photo of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vial. (Courtesy Photo / UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center)
Coronavirus vaccines have arrived and they’re highly effective in protecting people from COVID-19. Vaccine experts at UCHealth answer some of the most commonly asked questions.
What is a vaccine?
Vaccines train the body’s immune system to recognize and attack pathogens. Vaccines give the body a sneak peek of one or more key features of a virus before the actual virus barges in. The immune system then develops a “memory” of a virus and can fight it the next time the virus tries to invade. Once you are protected, you have what are known as antibodies.