MRNA Vaccines May Do More than Protect us from COVID
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These new mRNA-based vaccines for have the power to inflict a double whammy against the virus — they stimulate the immune system to make antibodies and immune system killer cells. That’s like possessing two kinds of ammo just in case one is not as effective. And while we are still learning how , such as the delta variant, may impact the disease’s ability to spread, there’s no doubt these new vaccines are on track to save hundreds of thousands of lives. Most vaccines require some sort of booster; while booster shots may be recommended to everyone ultimately, their greatest impact will most likely be in those who are already at increased risk of disease, such as those of advanced age or with preexisting conditions.
AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. . Şahin and Türeci expect the technology to revolutionize many areas of medicine, including . Speed and versatility are important when it comes to chasing COVID with vaccines in the years ahead. Changes in the spike proteins drive the variant strains, but our vaccines can still meet the challenge. As more mutations accumulate, tweaks to the vaccines will probably be necessary. But we can be well prepared for COVID’s iterations with enough disease surveillance and routine sequencing to keep track of the virus’s evolving characteristics. In the meantime, preventing viral transmission through vaccination is essential to contain the virus and foil its natural tendency to refashion itself.
It may feel disheartening to know that we may have to live with COVID — a newly emerging plague — in our environment for the rest of our lives. But that may be the least of our worries going forward. Many pathogens, some much deadlier than COVID, lie in wait for a close encounter with our kind. Case in point: A few years ago, scientists in France awakened a gigantic, ancient virus from its 30,000-year-long slumber in Siberian permafrost that’s ready to infect again. Now this virus, dubbed Pithovirus sibericum, only infects single-celled amoebas (whew!). But the discovery has scientists wondering what other microbes are hidden in melting permafrost awaiting another chance to infect. If a 30,000-year-old virus can maintain its infectious abilities, other microbes are capable of revisiting humanity in catastrophic fashion. Which is to say: There may be no such thing as total eradication of a virus. Devastating diseases like smallpox could come back to haunt us if we’re not careful.
The good news is that we have modern science — and the — on our side. 2021 by Sanjay Gupta. From the book World War C: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One by Sanjay Gupta, M.D. Published by Simon & Schuster Inc. Printed by permission. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
mRNA Vaccines May Do More Than Protect Us From COVID-19
The messenger RNA shots could battle a dozen other chronic illnesses too including cancer
Jens Mortensen On a cold Sunday night last November, Anthony Fauci, M.D., sat bundled up on his deck, having a (physically distanced) drink with a friend, when the call came. Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, was on the other end of the line. “Tony,” Bourla said, “are you sitting down?” Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Bourla had the results from the phase 3 trials on an mRNA-based vaccine. He told Fauci it was “amazing.” “Tony, it’s more than 90 percent effective at reducing the risk of developing severe COVID!” Bourla said. For a scientist like Fauci, it was a deeply emotional, cathartic moment. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > The new represent a new class of vaccines because of their messenger RNA technology, but the concept is the same: Introduce instructions to the body for making a protein that the immune system will tag as a bad guy — so when the real bad guy shows up, the body is ready to fight it. These mRNA vaccines do not contain the live virus that causes COVID. They contain only the code for a small portion of the virus, the spike protein. They do not whatsoever.These new mRNA-based vaccines for have the power to inflict a double whammy against the virus — they stimulate the immune system to make antibodies and immune system killer cells. That’s like possessing two kinds of ammo just in case one is not as effective. And while we are still learning how , such as the delta variant, may impact the disease’s ability to spread, there’s no doubt these new vaccines are on track to save hundreds of thousands of lives. Most vaccines require some sort of booster; while booster shots may be recommended to everyone ultimately, their greatest impact will most likely be in those who are already at increased risk of disease, such as those of advanced age or with preexisting conditions.
AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. . Şahin and Türeci expect the technology to revolutionize many areas of medicine, including . Speed and versatility are important when it comes to chasing COVID with vaccines in the years ahead. Changes in the spike proteins drive the variant strains, but our vaccines can still meet the challenge. As more mutations accumulate, tweaks to the vaccines will probably be necessary. But we can be well prepared for COVID’s iterations with enough disease surveillance and routine sequencing to keep track of the virus’s evolving characteristics. In the meantime, preventing viral transmission through vaccination is essential to contain the virus and foil its natural tendency to refashion itself.
It may feel disheartening to know that we may have to live with COVID — a newly emerging plague — in our environment for the rest of our lives. But that may be the least of our worries going forward. Many pathogens, some much deadlier than COVID, lie in wait for a close encounter with our kind. Case in point: A few years ago, scientists in France awakened a gigantic, ancient virus from its 30,000-year-long slumber in Siberian permafrost that’s ready to infect again. Now this virus, dubbed Pithovirus sibericum, only infects single-celled amoebas (whew!). But the discovery has scientists wondering what other microbes are hidden in melting permafrost awaiting another chance to infect. If a 30,000-year-old virus can maintain its infectious abilities, other microbes are capable of revisiting humanity in catastrophic fashion. Which is to say: There may be no such thing as total eradication of a virus. Devastating diseases like smallpox could come back to haunt us if we’re not careful.
The good news is that we have modern science — and the — on our side. 2021 by Sanjay Gupta. From the book World War C: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One by Sanjay Gupta, M.D. Published by Simon & Schuster Inc. Printed by permission. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS