Thanks to science, we now have several COVID-19 vaccines available to us, including Moderna's
vaccine.
While this is extremely exciting news, you likely have some questions about the shot.
Here's what happens to you after you get the Moderna vaccine.
The whole point of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is that it gives you immunity against COVID-19,
as noted by the CDC.
But how exactly does it work?
It starts with the mRNA in the shot, which is basically a guide for your body's cells;
it teaches them how to make a "spike protein," which is what the coronavirus uses to infect
you.
Dr. Bethany Moore, a professor of internal medicine, explained to Michigan Health,
"Once inside the cell, the mRNA from the vaccine is taken up by your ribosomes and translated
into many copies of the spike protein."
After that, your cells dissolve the mRNA and the spike protein is released from the cell.
Then, Moore says the immune system responds further.
"Dendritic cells are patrolling and will come in contact with the antigen that they haven't
seen before and raise the alarm, travel to a lymph node, find the right T and B cells
and activate them."
And then, the hope is that those cells start creating antibodies, eventually rendering
you immune to COVID-19.
If you experienced increased anxiety, depression, or hopelessness during the coronavirus pandemic,
you're most definitely not alone.
According to Stanford University, we were all more susceptible to mental health issues
during that time.
Fortunately, there's a bright, shining light at the end of the tunnel, according to psychiatrist
Dr. Manish Sapra.
In an article he wrote for Northwell Health, he said,
"The arrival of the COVID vaccine was a critical step in the healing process for every single
one of us.
While it will take weeks for full protection to take effect, and with herd immunity still
far off, there is one immediate effect that everyone can and should grasp on to now - hope."
We're talking about real, concrete, and serious hope that things are on the precipice of changing.
Sapra continued,
"Rather than just a wish, hope is a belief that things will get better.
The vaccine enables all of us to believe firmly that we're going to get out of this, and that
recovery is real."
Chances are you've probably heard people talking about how they react to the Moderna vaccine
against COVID-19.
So what exactly can you personally expect?
According to vaccine expert Dr. Katie Passaretti, it's probably not as bad as you may imagine.
She shared with WBTV's Good Question podcast,
"I felt fine after the shot but I did get tired later in the day, and I think just typically
when you get a shot, your arm gets sore.
I just thought it was a little bit longer than when I get a normal shot."
Given Passaretti's personal experience,you can prepare for pretty much the same thing.
She continued,
"The most common side effects are pain at the site of injection.
With all of the vaccines, especially with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, you can feel
fatigued, have low-grade fevers, feel a little achy and a little run down."
One thing that you may be seriously curious about is why you need two shots of the Moderna
vaccine against COVID-19, four weeks apart.
Well, in order to help your body create the strongest immunity possible, that second dose
is needed to supplement the first.
Be mindful, though, that you might feel worse after your second shot than you did your first.
Dr. Bethany Moore told Michigan Health,
"Because you already have antibodies on-board from the first dose, you're going to get a
little bit more robust immune response the second time.
At the same time, you are boosting the immune response to be bigger, better, and faster
and really locking in the memory of it."
While you may be tempted to skip your second shot due to the side effects, don't do it!
For as unpleasant as that immune response is, that means your body is working to build
an amazing defense against a seriously nasty virus that's killed millions of people.
Trust us, it's worth the pain.
Speaking of unpleasant side effects and ways to manage them, can you take NSAIDs after
receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine?
While you may not feel like you need to after the first dose, for some, that second shot
really can be a doozy.
To that end, is it safe to take pain relievers?
The short answer is yes, you can take NSAIDs after you get the Moderna vaccine, as noted
by The New York Times.
According to vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit, there's no harm in taking a pain reliever
if you really need to, but you shouldn't take it for a preventative reason or if you can
get by without it.
You'll want to avoid taking NSAIDs before your shot, as there's a chance that might
blunt the immune response.
However, don't stress too much if you already did.
Dr. Offit says,
"You should feel reassured that you'll have enough of an immune response that you'll be
protected, especially for vaccines that are this good."
For all of the chatter about how bad the side effects of the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19
are, there are indeed some folks who won't experience any of them.
And while that certainly sounds pleasant, does it mean the vaccine didn't work for you?
According to immunologist Dr. Bali Pulendran, the answer to that question is no, and he
explained why using a metaphor while chatting with Pioneer Press.
"The primary vaccination taught the easy stuff to the immune system, like in primary school.
Does that mean that the primary school education wasn't really an education, because it didn't
really cause you pain?
No."
Pulendran went on to compare the second dose to secondary school.
"It got into calculus and physics.
But still, the immune system went through it, and that was really great.
In the end, you had the full education.
That's exactly how vaccines work."
So don't worry if your vaccination process was a breeze, and consider yourself lucky.
If you've already received your Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you know that after you take the
shot, you have to wait for 15 to 30 minutes before you're allowed to leave.
Curious as to why that is?
According to the CDC, there's a small chance that you might have an anaphylactic reaction
to the coronavirus vaccine.
That's the same kind of reaction that people who are allergic to bees have when they're
stung by one, as noted by Healthline.
Symptoms include everything from hives and nausea to confusion and loss of consciousness
- and even death.
No wonder health professionals keep a close eye on people post-vaccine!
However, this kind of reaction can be treated effectively with an EpiPen, and all vaccination
sites are required to have the proper supplies on hand.
You're in good hands.
This one might surprise you, but your reaction to the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 can
vary due to your gender.
According to The New York Times, women are more likely than men to report and experience
side effects of the coronavirus immunization.
This is the case for other vaccines as well, including the flu shot, the MMR vaccine, and
hepatitis vaccines.
The reasons for this have to do with women's estrogen levels, which provoke an immune response
post-vaccination, whereas testosterone has the opposite effect.
Additionally, a large portion of the genes associated with immunity are on the X chromosome,
and most women have two of them; the majority of men only have one.
That's also why women are more susceptible to autoimmune disease.
Women are also far more likely than men to have an anaphylactic response to the Moderna
COVID-19 vaccine, too.
In fact, almost all of those occurrences happened in women.
Another factor that may affect whether you exhibit side effects?
Your age.
"Younger people may have a more robust immune system, a stronger immune response, and that
leads to more of the side effects."
In order for us to achieve herd immunity, a significantly large portion of the population
has to be vaccinated, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Only then will things really start getting back to normal.
To that end, it's important for as many adults to get vaccinated as possible, which will
in turn protect those who can't receive vaccines against COVID-19.
That includes people who are allergic to any of the ingredients in the coronavirus immunization,
as noted by the Cleveland Clinic.
But if you just have garden variety allergies like to pollen or pet dander, you'll probably
be fine taking the COVID-19 shot.
Of course, if you're not sure, the best thing to do is talk to your doctor.
One big question that COVID-19 survivors may have is whether or not they should get the
coronavirus immunization, including the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
After all, if you've already been sick, don't you have the antibodies to protect yourself
against a subsequent infection?
Well, it's complicated.
According to the CDC, you should still get a COVID-19 vaccination if you've already had
the coronavirus.
Why?
We still don't know how long the immunity acquired from a COVID-19 infection lasts,
and the vaccines have all proven to be effective.
Why not get all the protection you can, right?
The only bad news is that COVID-19 survivors may have stronger immune responses from coronavirus
immunizations, as noted by The New York Times.
And if you have an exceptionally strong response to the first shot, that could be an indicator
that you had COVID-19 and didn't know it at the time.
So schedule a few days off from work if you need it, as you might find yourself pretty
wiped out.
One of the biggest questions that concerned folks might be wondering is this: do the coronavirus
vaccines, including Modern's offering, actually give you COVID-19?
It's not an unreasonable assumption, given that the vaccines have a dead form of the
COVID-19 germ in them.
That's how they help to build immunity.
However, this is one of the biggest myths out there about all of the COVID-19 immunizations.
According to the CDC, none of the vaccines available can give you a case of coronavirus,
so put your fears about that to rest.
As we've established, you may feel sick after getting vaccinated, but that immune response
is vastly different from a severe case of COVID-19.
Bear in mind that you aren't fully protected from COVID-19 until two weeks after receiving
your second shot of Moderna's vaccine.
So, as noted by the Mayo Clinic, it's possible that you can catch coronavirus just before
or just after getting your shot.
By now, you're probably aware that there are three different COVID-19 vaccines on the U.S.
market: Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
So how does Moderna's shot stack up against the other two?
Is it the best one that you can get?
According to STAT, the Moderna vaccine was proven to be 94.1 percent effective at protecting
your body from the coronavirus.
That's pretty close to the 95 percent that the Pfizer vaccine accomplished, and the 66
percent efficacy of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Pretty heartening numbers all around!
In short:
"The good news is that the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines are very similar in that they're
both effective and safe."
Bear in mind, however, that it's not like you can pick and choose what brand of the
COVID-19 vaccine you'll receive.
Essentially, you'll be presented with what's available depending on where you are, so you'd
be best to just accept whatever option you get.
If you've been lucky enough to get your first or even second shot of the Moderna COVID-19
vaccine, you're no doubt full of hope that things are finally getting better.
But you also might be wondering how long this round of shots will be effective.
While there's not a ton of data out there yet, infectious disease expert Joel Ernst
has an idea.
He told Pioneer Press,
"Right now it looks like the 'half life' of the antibodies after vaccination are at least
a year, and probably longer than that."
It's also possible that you'll need subsequent doses of Moderna's coronavirus immunization,
as noted by Ernst.
"If needed, vaccine 'boosters' could help in two ways.
They can recharge the immune response against the original virus.
They can also help fend off a new viral variant that could render existing vaccines ineffective."
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