Page 7 - HFA Dateline 2020-2021 Special Issue

COVID-19 VACCINES

DON’T STOP EMERGING

THERAPY OPTIONS FOR THOSE

WITH BLEEDING DISORDERS

BY HFA STAFF WITH SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
BY DR. DAVID CLARK AND DR. LISA HENSLEY

Many people have questions about the COVID-19 against them. The first dose of the vaccine starts this
vaccines. This article will answer one primary question: process and provides some protection. The second
Can getting vaccinated for COVID-19 cut off dose raises and refines that protection to about
treatment options for emerging bleeding disorder 95% and helps the effects of the vaccine last longer.
treatments and therapies? Of the three vaccines The refinement is like the second time you play an
currently available in the United States, the Pfizer and opponent in a sport: Even if they change some of their
Moderna vaccines use messenger ribonucleic acid strategy, you are better able to handle them.
(mRNA) technology while the Johnson & Johnson
vaccine uses a viral vector. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine works differently,
using something called a “viral vector.” A viral vector
HOW THESE VACCINES WORK is created when scientists take a nonpathogenic

The virus that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2, virus (that doesn’t make humans sick) and alter it
which is a coronavirus. Coronaviruses have protein to do something different. For the vaccine, Johnson
spikes sticking out of them that allow the virus to & Johnson took an adenovirus and replaced part of
attach to and enter cells. All three vaccines use that its genetic instructions with the genes to create the
spike protein to help our bodies develop an immune SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. When you get the shot, the
response to prevent illness. adenovirus enters your cells, giving them the genetic
instructions to make the spike protein. Once those
In the case of the mRNA vaccines, when you get the spike proteins start appearing on the surfaces of your
shot, mRNA goes into cells and sends “instructions” to cells, your immune system recognizes them as foreign
the cells to create the spike protein. By itself, the spike and builds an immune response against them. As with
protein will not cause COVID-19 — it’s just one piece the mRNA, the viral vector with the DNA in it only lasts
of the virus. The mRNA lasts in your system for about a short time. This is because the viral vector does not
24 hours and then starts to degrade, but your cells will replicate well, so it also degrades out of the body. The
continue to express the spike proteins for a few days. Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose at
Your immune system recognizes those spike proteins this time.
as foreign and starts creating an immune response

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