At LIFE, our mission is to support frontline workers by educating and promoting self-care. As we've shared with you already, self-care comes in many forms and that includes caring for your physical body. August is vaccine awareness month and we want to share information about the COVID-19 vaccine and why we urge everyone eligible to get it as soon as possible.
What is a Vaccine?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, a vaccine "stimulates your immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if you were exposed to the disease." Medicines will cure disease while a vaccine will help prevent the patient from getting it in the first place.
In this post, we're considering Live and Inactivated to be "traditional". These types of vaccines involve injecting a patient with a version of a virus or bacteria that imitates an infection. This allows the body to produce antibodies against the virus or bacteria without the person actually becoming ill.
How is the COVID Vaccine Different?
You may have heard a lot about how the COVID vaccine is different from traditional vaccines. A traditional vaccine involves a virus' inactive protein or biome. The COVID vaccine contains the blueprint to the protein, also called mRNA. A traditional vaccine relies on the immune system to respond to the protein, where a mRNA vaccine serves as instructions for the body to make microbial protein to fight off infection.
While the technology for creating an mRNA vaccine has been available for decades, it has not been utilized as often as a traditional vaccine for several reasons. While a mRNA vaccine is faster to produce, it is all extremely expensive to do so. In addition, the temperature at which the final product must be stored drives high shipping costs and exponential chances for spoilage.
Where Do I Go to Get a Vaccine?
The great news is that anyone 12 years and older is eligible for a COVID vaccine. In addition, availability has increased significantly - no more waiting in lines at the fair grounds to get a shot! Most major pharmacy chains offer vaccines in store and accept both walk-ins and appointments as well. Best of all, the vaccine is free of charge! Click here to find a location that works for you.
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