4 ms·
The difference to "traditional" vaccines is really not significant with regards to risk. The mRNA is translated to a protein, which is the actual target your i
by IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
The difference to "traditional" vaccines is really not significant with regards to risk.
The mRNA is translated to a protein, which is the actual target your immune system then recognises as foreign, attacks, and remembers.
In a sense, it's a lot like a prodrug, which is a "traditional" small-molecule that is turned into the actual drug by some interaction with your body–your stomach acid, for example.
"mRNA" might sound scary. But it isn't going to change your genome or anything like that; it's strictly downstream from DNA. Any virus, bacteria, or salad you eat contains far more mRNA in addition to DNA or RNA, and the first of those really does come with mechanisms to insert itself into your cells' DNA and has evolved to defend itself against your defences, and to slowly take over your body in some way or other.
There are some short-term risks on the order of, say, eating lobster for the first time. Allergies, for example, which can be quite severe and even deadly. But those are exactly the risks the trials would have uncovered, and the people possibly at risks of such things would already know they are susceptible.
There is no known mechanism for any risk that would not manifest within the first day or two.
- anonymouse008 6y agoFor some reason I worry about proteins made by fallible humans freely roaming the halls of my veins. You have heard of mad cow disease? Also how misshaped proteins are pretty much impossible to destroy eh?
- vkou 6y agoThen you should be truly horrified about all the proteins from the hundreds of billions of bacteria and viruses, and of course, cancer cells, that are currently roaming your veins, because said bacteria or viruses did not even try to make them safe for their hosts.
- anonymouse008 6y ago*if I viewed all proteins as equal... I take solace knowing that if said virus creates something truly catastrophic to the human race - its way beyond the realm of caring for we shall be dead soon. However, its evolutionary time scale factored by its probability of being that horrible means I’m better off waiting to win the lottery. HOWEVER, knowing we as humans tried to replicate the exact “key card” into our cells that makes this virus so potent (aka the spikey bits with the ACE receptor end) worries me greatly. That’s not on evolutionary time scales or mutations... that sounds like IVF and diabetes.
- sgfyd 6y agoSo because one bad thing exists we're not allowed to be worried about another bad thing?
- vkou 6y agoOf the difference in scales of the bad things are six orders of magnitude, yes, probably. If you think it's a risk, quantify and measure it, and compare it to the risk of not doing anything. People love to grouse about vaccines, bit they never seen keen on doing the math. (Because it consistently does not support such an argument.)