Vaccines to prevent covid will start becoming available in December 2020. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be the first two that will receive the Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA. The Oxford vaccine may follow soon after that.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on a ground breaking technology called the mRNA- think about that as a way to send a signal to the body to produce immunity against the covid virus.

The messenger RNA is like a Snapchat message. It dissolves after conveying the signal. It does not linger in the body and it cannot make a virus or cause infection. It cannot change our own DNA.

Over 90,000 and more volunteers have received the vaccines so far.

Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are showing 95% effectiveness as measured by antibody response and reduced number of infections in the group that received vaccine as compared to the group that received placebo (no vaccine)

Both vaccines also will reduce the risk of spread of the virus as well.

In the people who received the vaccine, none of them developed severe covid disease that required hospitalization.

There were no serious side effects noted but the careful monitoring will continue.

Initially the vaccine is going to be available only for high priority groups- health care workers, nursing homes, long term care, followed by first responders- EMS/Police/Fire and other critical infrastructure, essential workers, elders, and people with compromised immune system.

Communities of color and Native Americans are also high priority group who will receive early opportunity to get the protective vaccines. Due to historical trauma and terrible experiences in the past that often continue in the present day, the medical science world has to earn the trust.

We can only do so by sharing timely, trustworthy, and transparent information.