Recall your memory of your life before 2020. You can notice that there was no virus that was not only critical for people but also overspreading all around the world. Our lives have changed so fast, and many people are suffering from the virus called SARS-Cov-2, which is an abbreviation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2. To fight against it, we need a vaccine, which is a great way to prevent getting infected from the virus.

▲ The picture of COVID-19

First of all, a vaccine stimulates our antibodies and provides immunity to fight certain diseases. In South Korea, there are four kinds of vaccines that are used, but they can be gathered in two groups. The first group is the mRNA vaccines, which include BNT162b2 by Pfizer and BioNTech and mRNA-1273 by Moderna. The second group is the viral vector vaccines, which include AZD1222 by AstraZeneca and Ad26.Cov2.S by Johnson&Johnson.

▲ Boxes of AstraZeneca vaccines

The mRNA vaccines and viral vector vaccines sound so complicated, and many people believe that they are hard to be understood. However, they are quite simple and are not hard to be understood. First, unlike other vaccines that put something to weaken and inactivate the virus or germs, mRNA vaccines do not use it. They use a kind of protein called messenger RNA. They give instructions to the cells and to make a protein that triggers our immune system, and then our immune system will be ready. Unlike mRNA vaccines, viral vector vaccines use a genetically modified virus that causes a weaker symptom than the target virus, but it also similar to the virus which causes a certain disease, When the modified virus gives instruction to our body cells just like mRNA vaccines, the body cells produce a protein that can help our immune system to remember the virus.

To conquer COVID-19, the world should cooperate and help each other, and having a vaccine is one of the ways to end this pandemic.

By Lee Hyun June