{"id":115930,"date":"2020-12-15T17:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T22:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/?p=115930"},"modified":"2021-08-18T12:25:19","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T16:25:19","slug":"6-things-in-the-covid-19-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/6-things-in-the-covid-19-vaccine\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Things in the COVID-19 Vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentistry.co.uk\/2020\/09\/29\/dental-teams-priority-covid-vaccine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-115936\" title=\"6 Things in the COVID-19 Vaccine\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/covid_vaccine.png?resize=93%2C120&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"6 Things in the COVID-19 Vaccine\" width=\"93\" height=\"120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/covid_vaccine.png?resize=116%2C150&amp;ssl=1 116w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/covid_vaccine.png?resize=58%2C75&amp;ssl=1 58w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/covid_vaccine.png?w=238&amp;ssl=1 238w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 93px) 100vw, 93px\" \/><\/a>The <strong>COVID-19 vaccine<\/strong> from <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20211114075114\/https:\/\/investors.pfizer.com\/investor-news\/press-release-details\/2020\/Pfizer-and-BioNTech-to-Co-Develop-Potential-COVID-19-Vaccine\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Pfizer and BioNTech<\/a> &#8211; known by the code name BNT162b, has been in use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-55227325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">in the UK for a week<\/a> and is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/12\/14\/world\/covid-19-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">starting to be deployed in the US<\/a>. With the <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210823122914\/https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/emergency-preparedness-and-response\/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19\/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">regulatory approval<\/a> to move forward from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Food and Drug Administration<\/a> we now have the most detailed info yet on what is in the new COVIID-19 vaccine. MIT&#8217;s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Technology Review<\/a><\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2020\/12\/09\/1013538\/what-are-the-ingredients-of-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">looked at the ingredients<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pfizer.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pfizer<\/a>&#8216;s (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tradingview.com\/symbols\/NYSE-PFE\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PFE<\/a>) vaccine and provided some context from scientists and biotech entrepreneurs for those of us without a Ph.D. in organic chemistry.\u00a0<br \/><br \/><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pfizer.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-115937 size-thumbnail\" title=\"Pfizer logo\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/pfizer_logo-e1608040844387-75x48.png?resize=75%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Pfizer logo\" width=\"75\" height=\"48\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/pfizer_logo-e1608040844387.png?resize=75%2C48&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/pfizer_logo-e1608040844387.png?resize=150%2C97&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/pfizer_logo-e1608040844387.png?w=234&amp;ssl=1 234w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" \/><\/a>1- mRNA<\/strong> &#8211; Pfizer\u2019s vaccine consists of actual genetic information from a virus in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genome.gov\/genetics-glossary\/messenger-rna\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>messenger RNA<\/strong><\/a>, or mRNA, a type of molecule whose usual job is to<strong> transport copies of genetic instructions around a cell to guide the assembly of proteins<\/strong>. The authors describe mRNA as a long ticker-tape carrying instructions. It&#8217;s fairly delicate stuff, and that&#8217;s why Pfizer&#8217;s vaccine needs to be kept at around -100 \u00b0F until it&#8217;s used.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>The new vaccine, delivered as a shot in the arm muscle, contains an <strong>RNA sequence<\/strong> taken from the virus itself; it causes cells to manufacture <strong>the big \u201cspike\u201d protein of the COVID-19 virus<\/strong>, which the pathogen uses to glom onto a person\u2019s cells and gain entry. On its own, without the rest of the virus, <strong>the spike is pretty harmless. But your body still reacts to it.<\/strong> This is what leaves you <strong>immunized and ready to repel the real virus if it\u00a0<\/strong><strong>turns up<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-115356\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/covid_virus.jpg?resize=75%2C72&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"72\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>The mRNA in the vaccine, to be sure, isn\u2019t quite the same as the stuff in your body. That\u2019s good because cells defenses&#8217; are ready to chop up RNA, especially any that doesn\u2019t belong there. To avoid that, what\u2019s known as \u201cmodified nucleosides\u201d have been substituted for some of the mRNA building blocks.<br \/><br \/>But Pfizer is holding back a little according to the article. The spike gene sequence can be tweaked in small ways for better performance, by means that include swapping letters. We don\u2019t think <strong>Pfizer has said exactly what sequence it is using, or what modified <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newworldencyclopedia.org\/entry\/Nucleoside\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">nucleosides<\/a>.<\/strong> That means the content of the shot may not be 100% public.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>2- Lipids &#8211;<\/strong> The Pfizer vaccine uses <strong>lipid nanoparticles to encase the RNA<\/strong>. The nanoparticles are, basically, tiny greasy spheres that <strong>protect the mRNA and help it slide inside cells<\/strong>. Pfizer says it uses the <strong>four different <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lipid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lipids<\/a><\/strong> in a \u201cdefined ratio.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>(4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis (ALC-3015)<\/li>\r\n<li>(2- hexyldecanoate),2-[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide (ALC-0159)<\/li>\r\n<li>1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine (DPSC)<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Cholesterol<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umasd.org\/Page\/1572\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-114009\" title=\"four different lipids\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/beakers1-2.jpg?resize=80%2C78&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"four different lipids\" width=\"80\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/beakers1-2.jpg?resize=150%2C147&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/beakers1-2.jpg?resize=75%2C73&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/beakers1-2.jpg?w=372&amp;ssl=1 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/a>The lipid <strong>ALC-0315<\/strong> is the primary ingredient in the formulation. That\u2019s because <strong>it\u2019s ionizable\u2014it can be given a positive charge, and since the RNA has a negative one, they stick together<\/strong>. It&#8217;s also a component that <strong>can cause side effects<\/strong>\u00a0or allergic reactions.<\/p>\r\n<p>The other lipids, one of which is the familiar molecule <strong>cholesterol<\/strong>, are \u201chelpers\u201d that give structural integrity to the nanoparticles or stop them from clumping. During manufacturing, the RNA and the lipids are stirred into a bubbly mix to form what the FDA describes as a \u201cwhite to off-white\u201d frozen liquid.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>3 &#8211; Salts &#8211; <\/strong>The Pfizer vaccine contains four salts, one of which is ordinary table salt. Together, these salts are better known as phosphate-buffered saline, or PBS, a <strong>very common ingredient that keeps the pH, or acidity, of the vaccine close to that of a person\u2019s body<\/strong>. You\u2019ll understand how important that is if you\u2019ve ever squeezed lemon juice on a cut. Substances with the wrong acidity can injure cells or get quickly degraded.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uofmhealth.org\/health-library\/d00345a1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Potassium chloride<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li>Monobasic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uofmhealth.org\/health-library\/d03790a1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">potassium phosphate<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drugs.com\/mtm\/sodium-chloride-oral.html#:~:text=Sodium%20chloride%20is%20the%20chemical,excessive%20sweating%2C%20or%20other%20causes.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sodium chloride<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li>Basic<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/is-disodium-phosphate-bad-for-you\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> sodium phosphate dihydrate<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/k6o0WuaZOLo?t=75\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-115944\" title=\"sugar acting as a cryoprotectant\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/spoonful-of-Sugar-e1608046513929-150x57.jpg?resize=100%2C38&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"sugar acting as a cryoprotectant\" width=\"100\" height=\"38\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/spoonful-of-Sugar-e1608046513929.jpg?resize=150%2C57&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/spoonful-of-Sugar-e1608046513929.jpg?resize=75%2C29&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/spoonful-of-Sugar-e1608046513929.jpg?w=318&amp;ssl=1 318w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a>4 &#8211; Sugar &#8211;<\/strong> The vaccine includes <strong>sucrose &#8211;<\/strong> plain old sugar. In the Vaccine, It is acting as a <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230511044209\/https:\/\/www.medicinenet.com\/cryoprotectant\/definition.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryoprotectant<\/a> to <strong>safeguard the nanoparticles when they\u2019re frozen<\/strong> and stop them from sticking together.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; Saline solution &#8211;<\/strong> Before injection, the vaccine is mixed with water containing sodium chloride, or <strong>ordinary salt<\/strong>, just as many intravenously delivered drugs are. Again, the idea is that the injection should more or less <strong>match the salt content of the blood<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>6 &#8211; No preservatives &#8211;<\/strong> Pfizer makes a point of saying its mixture of lipid nanoparticles and mRNA is \u201cpreservative-free.\u201d That\u2019s because a preservative that\u2019s been used in other vaccines, thimerosal (which contains mercury and is there to kill any bacteria that might contaminate a vial), has been at the center of social media posts claiming vaccines cause autism. The US <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240813024406\/https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccinesafety\/concerns\/thimerosal\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Centers for Disease Control says thimerosal is safe<\/strong><\/a>; despite that, its use is being phased out. There is no thimerosal\u2014or any other preservative\u2014in the Pfizer vaccine. No microchips, either.<br \/><br \/><strong><em>rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>To counter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/anti-vaxxers-opposed-to-pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-have-always-been-a-problem-but-now-theyre-dangerous\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social media fake news<\/a> that Bill Gates put tracking microchips in the shots, or that the vaccine contains luciferase, a glowing chemical from fireflies whose name makes some people think of the devil &#8211; Pfizer has delivered a vaccine and an \u201cofficial vaccine ingredient list.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><br \/><\/em> <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_source=morning_brew#cases_casesper100klast7days\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stay safe out there!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Related article<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a title=\"Find Your Place in the Vaccine Line\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/12\/03\/opinion\/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Find Your Place in the Vaccine Line<\/a>\u00a0(<a title=\"New Your Times\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">New Your Times<\/a>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><em><a title=\"Ralph Bach\" href=\"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/new-resume\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ralph Bach<\/a>\u00a0has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his\u00a0<a title=\"Bach Seat\" href=\"https:\/\/rbach.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bach Seat<\/a> about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on <a class=\"broken_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rb48334\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ralph.bach.14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rbach48334\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>. Email the Bach Seat\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:\/\/bach.seat@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer is approval by the U.S. FDA so we more detailed info on what is in the new COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[363],"tags":[3397,3419,3542,3540,3543,334,3541,3539],"class_list":["post-115930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-care","tag-3397","tag-covid-19","tag-fda","tag-mrna","tag-pfe","tag-pfizer","tag-safe","tag-vaccine"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115930"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132075,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115930\/revisions\/132075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}