“Vaccines are safe, effective, and lifesaving.”
—Alex Azar
By Alex P. Vidal
THE good news is that my chances of being inoculated soon will hopefully be accelerated now that New Yorkers 50 years of age and older can now make appointments to receive Covid-19 vaccines.
More than 1.65 million doses have been administered through the New York Mass Vaccination Sites and FEMA sites as of this writing.
More than 1 million does have been administered over the past days.
Unlike in the Philippines where the major problem being encountered by health authorities is reportedly 61 percent of the people are hesitant to take the vaccines, many people in the United States are now starting to appreciate the necessity of taking the vaccines to finally stop Covid-19 on its tracks despite the virus’ multiple variants that have been documented around the world.
Here are three variants that are currently in the US: UK variant (B.1.1.7), South Africa variant (B.1.351), and Brazil variant (P.1).
Scientists have been working to learn more about how easily they spread, whether they could cause more severe illness, and whether currently authorized vaccines will protect people against them.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.
According to the New York City Health (NYCH), mRNA is a molecule that contains the blueprint for making proteins.
These are the first mRNA vaccines to be authorized, but the technology has been studied for over 30 years.
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Here is how mRNA vaccines work, according to the NYCH:
The mRNA molecules enter the body with instructions on how to make a protein that is part of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The proteins produced trigger the body to make antibodies (special proteins that fight against a specific infection) and other defenses.
The mRNA is then broken down and destroyed by the body.
If a person is exposed to COVID-19 after they were vaccinated, the body will be able to recognize the virus and produce antibodies and other defenses to fight it.
In short, mRNA is similar to email that gets sent to our body with instructions on how to identify and destroy the virus. Our body uses those instructions and then deletes the email completely.
mRNA does not interact with or change a person's DNA.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is an adenovirus vector vaccine. Johnson & Johnson has been researching adenovirus vector vaccines for other infections for decades, including the company’s Ebola vaccine, which is already in use.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine works similarly to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines, though it uses a different type of messenger to deliver instructions for making an immune response.
To make the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, scientists took a gene from the virus that causes COVID-19 and put the gene into an adenovirus. Adenovirus are viruses that cause the common cold.
The adenovirus used in this vaccine has been modified so that it cannot multiply in humans or cause disease.
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Here is how the Johnson & Johnson vaccine works, according to the NYCH:
When the vaccine enters our body, the adenovirus carries a gene from the coronavirus into human cells, which then make a COVID-19 protein, but not the virus itself.
The proteins that are produced trigger our body to make antibodies (special proteins that fight against a specific infection) and other defenses.
If we are exposed to COVID-19 after we are vaccinated, our body will recognize the virus and your immune system will be ready to fight it.
In addition to mRNA, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain the following types of ingredients:
Lipids: Lipids are molecules of fat that do not dissolve in water.
They surround the mRNA, protecting it so it does not break down before it gets into your cells.
One example of a lipid included is polyethylene glycol.
Salts, acetic acid and amines: These are all used to protect our cells by keeping the pH (acidity level) of the vaccine similar to the pH in our body.
The Pfizer vaccine contains four salts, including table salt. The Moderna vaccine contains acetic acid (the kind of acid in vinegar), one salt and two organic compounds derived from ammonia known as amines.
Sugar: Sugar helps keep the lipids from sticking to each other or to the sides of the vaccine vial.
The vaccines do not contain: Antibiotics, Blood products, DNA, Fetal tissue or human cells, Gelatin, Gluten, Mercury, Microchips, Pork or other animal products, The virus that causes COVID-19.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE INGREDIENTS. In addition to the harmless adenovirus, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine contains the following types of ingredients:
—Stabilizers: Salts, alcohol, polysorbate 80 and hydrochloric acid.
—Manufacturing biproducts: Amino acids.
The vaccine does not contain: Antibiotics, Blood products, Fetal tissue or human cells, Gelatin, Gluten, Mercury, Microchips, Pork or other animal products, The virus that causes COVID-19.
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STRANDED IN THE SKY. The first animal to join the endangered species list because of climate change was the polar bear.
The next may be the American pika.
These rabbit relatives spend summers scampering around mountaintop boulder fields, gathering plants to store for winter meals and ducking under rocks to hide from eagles and weasles.
Jewelry dominates gold consumption. The metal is also critical in electronics as an efficient, noncorroding conductor; gold-backed investment funds are growing. (National Geographic)
The price of gold was first standardized in late 1717 by Sir Isaac Newton, then England's Master of the Mint.
In coins and later as backing for paper money, it fluctuated with world crises and market forces. After 1971, when the dominant U.S. dollar was no longer tied to gold, the metal became a freely traded, often volatile, commodity. (National Geographic)
(PG 13) In the United States, one in four television programs contain scenes emphasizing sexual behavior. One in eight programs contain a scene in which sexual intercourse is depicted or strongly implied.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)
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