How does Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine work?

CAMBRDIGE, Mass. — The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency-use authorization to a second COVID-19 vaccine Friday night, clearing the way for Moderna to begin shipping its vaccines to hospitals and clinics across the country.

The Cambridge-based company was established in 2010. This vaccine is the first product they’ve been able to bring to market.

Moderna’s vaccine is reportedly 94.1% effective at preventing infection, just shy of Pfizer’s 95% efficacy.

The two vaccines are very similar.

Both shots are so-called mRNA vaccines, meaning they don’t contain any coronavirus and cannot cause infection.

Instead, the vaccines use a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus, preparing it to attack if the real thing comes along.

Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tom Frieden compared the mRNA molecule to an email – it tells your immune system what the virus looks like and provides instructions on how to kill it, then it disappears.

“What happens is the Moderna vaccine gets into your cell, and it’s like it sends a cell phone message,” said Dr. Michael Gibson, a cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

“It says, ‘Hey, start to make those little proteins, you know, on the surface.’ And the cells do, and then your immune system says, ‘What’s going on here? What are these new little fingers on the cells?’ And your body begins to make antibodies against those little fingers. Those are called the spike proteins. And when the virus comes, your body is ready to attack.”

Moderna has about 5.9 million doses ready for shipment set to begin this weekend, according to Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccine development program.

The vaccines could start arriving at hospitals and clinics as early as Monday.

Moderna expects to have between 100 million and 125 million doses available globally in the first three months of 2021, with 85 million to 100 million of those available in the U.S.

Cox Media Group