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Just explain how the vaccine works. I think a lot of people seem to not really understand it, which makes it this mystery fluid being injected into them. You do

Just explain how the vaccine works. I think a lot of people seem to not really understand it, which makes it this mystery fluid being injected into them. You don't need to get too detailed. The vaccine contains mRNA, which is basically like DNA (in layman terms). The mRNA is from covid and it's what gives it its 'spiky' structure. When the mRNA is injected your body uses it to generate those spikes - that's just a normal function of your body. Your immune system learns how to attack those spikes, and so it'll recognize covid in general. mRNA is very short-lived so it breaks down, the end result being that your body gets some covid proteins for a little while and your immune system cleans them up. I think a really simplistic breakdown like this goes a long way to helping people feel comfortable. They're no longer wondering "what's in this thing? how does it work?" and instead it's like "oh ok yeah, I have at least an extremely basic understanding of DNA, and this is just a tiny little piece of DNA stuff that breaks down super fast".

formerly_proven 5y ago
As I understand it, mRNA vaccines are considered safer "by design" than other types of vaccines, because mRNA is so short-lived and the body has no way of replicating mRNA, and each piece of mRNA is only translated a few times, so the number of proteins a shot of mRNA vaccine creates is very specific. Because the mRNA can be made to only produce a very specific component of the virus, there is basically no risk for a real infection to develop, because there isn't a real pathogen, in contrast to some other vaccines which contain modified/weakened pathogens.
- staticassertion 5y ago
  I don't know that they're much safer because I think the risks are just really low in general and likely the same - the "major" risk being an autoimmune response, which isn't really specific to vaccines. My understanding was that the main benefit was that it's easier to produce in large amounts (and faster to go from sequence -> vaccine?), and the main downside is that it's harder to store (since it breaks down so easily). But I'm not a doctor, and I generally try to not tell people what they should do, shouldn't do, or what the risks are - just give them the info and help them understand what's going on. Most people are just afraid of the unknown, and if no one's giving them an explanation they can understand they'll go with the simplistic, albeit incorrect ones that they can ("microchips are a thing I know about - they put those in animals to track them, maybe they're putting it in the vaccine").
hanselot 5y ago
I think acting like you have any idea what is inside a therapeutic drug with the manufacturing processes redacted from public knowledge is an outrageous claim. Perhaps you should look at Alberta Canada for more information. https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/canada/alberta-drops-covid-restrictions/ https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/canada... You know what would make me certain the vaccine is safe? An unbiased livestream of celebrities and public figures taking the vaccine with no chance of them receiving placebos.
basch 5y ago
I honestly think focusing on mRNA is basically missing the forest for the trees. It's like trying to describe how safe a substance in a shot is by describing the needle. mRNA is HOW you deliver the spike protein. But the safety of the vaccine is related to WHAT the mRNA creates. If it were a human protein, we would all develop auto-immune diseases of some sort. mRNA vaccines are the cleanest, and in a round-about way, simplest delivery mechanisms, (simple in that there arent as many precursor steps as something like a viral vector vaccine and simple in that its not a full attenuated virus) but its what they deliver that the conversation should be about.
- staticassertion 5y ago
  I think a lot of the details will come down to who you're talking to. I wouldn't talk to a sensible but naive person the same way I would talk to a conspiracy theorist. My goal wasn't to be prescriptive, just to give an example of a simple explanation.

formerly_proven 5y ago

As I understand it, mRNA vaccines are considered safer "by design" than other types of vaccines, because mRNA is so short-lived and the body has no way of replicating mRNA, and each piece of mRNA is only translated a few times, so the number of proteins a shot of mRNA vaccine creates is very specific. Because the mRNA can be made to only produce a very specific component of the virus, there is basically no risk for a real infection to develop, because there isn't a real pathogen, in contrast to some other vaccines which contain modified/weakened pathogens.

staticassertion 5y ago
I don't know that they're much safer because I think the risks are just really low in general and likely the same - the "major" risk being an autoimmune response, which isn't really specific to vaccines. My understanding was that the main benefit was that it's easier to produce in large amounts (and faster to go from sequence -> vaccine?), and the main downside is that it's harder to store (since it breaks down so easily). But I'm not a doctor, and I generally try to not tell people what they should do, shouldn't do, or what the risks are - just give them the info and help them understand what's going on. Most people are just afraid of the unknown, and if no one's giving them an explanation they can understand they'll go with the simplistic, albeit incorrect ones that they can ("microchips are a thing I know about - they put those in animals to track them, maybe they're putting it in the vaccine").

hanselot 5y ago

I think acting like you have any idea what is inside a therapeutic drug with the manufacturing processes redacted from public knowledge is an outrageous claim. Perhaps you should look at Alberta Canada for more information. https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/canada/alberta-drops-covid-restrictions/ https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/canada... You know what would make me certain the vaccine is safe? An unbiased livestream of celebrities and public figures taking the vaccine with no chance of them receiving placebos.

basch 5y ago

I honestly think focusing on mRNA is basically missing the forest for the trees. It's like trying to describe how safe a substance in a shot is by describing the needle. mRNA is HOW you deliver the spike protein. But the safety of the vaccine is related to WHAT the mRNA creates. If it were a human protein, we would all develop auto-immune diseases of some sort. mRNA vaccines are the cleanest, and in a round-about way, simplest delivery mechanisms, (simple in that there arent as many precursor steps as something like a viral vector vaccine and simple in that its not a full attenuated virus) but its what they deliver that the conversation should be about.

staticassertion 5y ago
I think a lot of the details will come down to who you're talking to. I wouldn't talk to a sensible but naive person the same way I would talk to a conspiracy theorist. My goal wasn't to be prescriptive, just to give an example of a simple explanation.