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Explainer | What are the coronavirus mRNA vaccines and how do they work?
- Two of the currently available vaccinations against Covid-19 use a relatively new technology which has not been approved before
- Scientists are confident the risks of unintended consequences are low in the short-term
Reading Time:5 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
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As vaccines against Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, are rolled out around the world, their effectiveness depends largely on public trust about their safety.
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Two of the vaccines available under emergency use conditions in some countries use a relatively new technology based on the genetic code of the virus. They are the mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
While scientists are confident of their safety in the short term, any long-term side effects are unknown. So what are mRNA vaccines, how do they work and what are their implications for public health?
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India trains workers to handle Covid-19 mass vaccination programme
India trains workers to handle Covid-19 mass vaccination programme
Why are mRNA vaccines important?
While expensive to develop, mRNA vaccines can be mass-produced at relatively low cost. They can also be quickly redesigned to cope with a mutation of the virus – a move that has not yet been required, but could be necessary down the track, as shown by the new strain identified in Britain and South Africa.
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