NOTE: I am periodically updating this article with new information. That's why there are so many "Updates"!
A normal vaccine injects weakened strains of polio, or an influenza, so that your immune system can develop antibodies to the invader. It's a way of strengthening your immune system so that it can protect your body against foreign attackers. The new mRNA vaccines are not vaccines: they are cell-altering substances that bypass your immune system and reprogram your cellular structure.
The Moderna website makes this abundantly clear in its excellent explanation of these bio-devices. If you are thinking of taking a COVID vaccine please read this site. Also read what the FDA says below about the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer.
https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/science-and-fundamentals-mrna-technology and
https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/mrna-platform-enabling-drug-discovery-development
Under the heading Our Operating System it says:
Recognizing the broad potential of mRNA science, we set out to create an mRNA technology platform that functions very much like an operating system on a computer. It is designed so that it can plug and play interchangeably with different programs. In our case, the "program” or “app” is our mRNA drug – the unique mRNA sequence that codes for a protein.”
Moderna calls their biodevices “The Software of Life.”
Here’s what the company says:
Utilizing these instruction sets [mRNA instruction sets] gives our investigational mRNA medicines a software-like quality.”
In the section Overcoming Challenges, the company talks about by-passing the immune system to change the protein structure of your cells.
We need to get the mRNA into the targeted tissue and cells while evading the immune system. If the immune system is triggered, the resultant response may limit protein production and, thus, limit the therapeutic benefit of mRNA medicines. We also need ribosomes to think the mRNA was produced naturally, so they can accurately read the instructions to produce the right protein. And we need to ensure the cells express enough of the protein to have the desired therapeutic effect.” [emphasis mine]
There is an excellent diagram on the website that explains the entire process. Please look at it. You can see how the new mRNA strands are like little software programs introduced to reprogram your cells. If the mRNA "medicine" bypasses your immune system, you have no protection against the new mRNA strands that are literally re-programming your cellular structure.
The Moderna website is very helpful in explaining how mRNA programs cells:
Through a process known as transcription, an RNA copy of a DNA sequence for creating a given protein is made.
This copy – mRNA – travels from the nucleus of the cell to the part of the cell known as the cytoplasm, which houses ribosomes. Ribosomes are complex machinery in the cells that are responsible for making proteins.
Then, through another process known as translation, ribosomes ‘read’ the mRNA, and follow the instructions, creating the protein step by step.
The cell then expresses the protein and it, in turn, carries out its designated function in the cell or the body.
https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/science-and-fundamentals-mrna-technology
Here is what the FDA says about Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine:
WHAT IS THE PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE?
Source: FACT SHEET FOR RECIPIENTS AND CAREGIVERS
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is an unapproved vaccine that may prevent COVID-19. There is no FDA-approved vaccine to prevent COVID-19. [emphasis mine]
The FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION (EUA) OF
THE PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE TO PREVENT CORONAVIRUS
DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)
IN INDIVIDUALS 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, at https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download
What does the FDA say about the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine?
WHAT IS THE MODERNA COVID-19 VACCINE?
Source: FACT SHEET FOR RECIPIENTS AND CAREGIVERS
The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is an unapproved vaccine that may prevent COVID-19. There is no FDA-approved vaccine to prevent COVID-19. [emphasis mine]
The FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION (EUA) OF
THE MODERNA COVID-19 VACCINE TO PREVENT CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019
(COVID-19) IN INDIVIDUALS 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER at https://www.modernatx.com/covid19vaccine-eua/eua-fact-sheet-recipients.pdf
Update 2/24: What are the ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccines? From the CDC and the FDA:
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN THE PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE?
https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine includes the following ingredients: mRNA, lipids ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 2 [(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and cholesterol), potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, and sucrose.
OK. The ingredient lists state that "mRNA" is one of the vaccine's components. What exactly is in this mRNA? We know that mRNA programs the proteins that determine what kind of cell it is, and how it functions. I don't know about you, but I'd like to get an explanation of the mRNA sequences contained in the vaccines. After all, these sequences are literally altering the protein structure of your cells. Unfortunately this is unlikely to happen. The mRNA sequences are the intellectual property of the company that makes the vaccine.
Update 3/16:
I discovered the function of lipids in these vaccines in the British Medical Journal:
RNA instability is one of the biggest hurdles for researchers developing nucleic acid based vaccines. It is the primary reason for the technology’s stringent cold chain requirements and has been addressed by encapsulating the mRNA in lipid nanoparticles (box).
The complete, intact mRNA molecule is essential to its potency as a vaccine,” professor of biopharmaceutics Daan J.A. Crommelin and colleagues wrote in a review article in The Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences late last year. “Even a minor degradation reaction, anywhere along a mRNA strand, can severely slow or stop proper translation performance of that strand and thus result in the incomplete expression of the target antigen.”
...
Over the years, researchers attempted to resolve intrinsic [mRNA] instability by encapsulating mRNA in nanocarriers made of polymers, lipids, or inorganic materials. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) were chosen by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, CureVac, and Imperial College London for their covid-19 vaccines."
Excerpts from BMJ 2021;372:n627 at https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n627,
Update 3:27: The Chemical & Engineering News website describes how mRNA is encapsulated in LNPs, or liquid nano-particles. This article is worth a read.
Fragile mRNA molecules used in COVID-19 vaccines can’t get into cells on their own. They owe their success to lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that took decades to refine. These LNPs encapsulate mRNA, shield it from destructive enzymes, and shuttle it into cells, where the mRNA is unloaded and used to make proteins."
https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-delivery/Without-lipid-shells-mRNA-vaccines/99/i8
Here is a diagram of a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) from the Chemical and Engineering News website:
Image Credit: Genevant Sciences A lipid nanoparticle (LNP) contains hundreds of small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules, each surrounded by ionizable lipids, phospholipids, and cholesterol. The outside of the particle is coated in pegylated lipids. LNPs for messenger RNA (mRNA) are made with similar ingredients but contain only a few mRNA strands. Source: https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-delivery/Without-lipid-shells-mRNA-vaccines/99/i8
Here is how the LNP gets into your cells:
Image Credit: Acuitas Therapeutics. Image description: A lipid nanoparticle (LNP) containing messenger RNA (mRNA) enters a cell through an endosome (right). When the LNP is inside the acidic endosome (middle), the ionizable lipids become positively charged and help release the LNP and mRNA into the cell's cytoplasm. Once free, the mRNA is translated by ribosomes to make proteins (left). Source: https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-delivery/Without-lipid-shells-mRNA-vaccines/99/i8
Update 4/1/2021:
OK, so genetic material is delivered to the cells by lipid nanoparticles. Here is a nice summary of how mRNA and LNPs work together to re-instruct cells:
The job of mRNA in the body is to transcribe the DNA code for one or more genes contained in a cell nucleus, and then deliver the encoded information to the protein factory in the cell’s outer reaches. There, the message is decoded and the requisite protein manufactured. DNA contains the blueprint for making nearly all the proteins in the body, while mRNA acts as a delivery service.
...
To reach the so-called cytoplasm of a cell where proteins are manufactured, the artificial mRNA needs to penetrate the lipid membrane barrier protecting the cell. Karikó, Weissman and others solved this problem by encasing the mRNA in small bubbles of fat known as lipid nanoparticles."
https://www.scienceunderattack.com/blog/2021/2/8/science-on-the-attack-the-vaccine-revolution-spurred-by-messenger-rna-70
The article cited above is a good read. The author is enthusiastic about the new mRNA products.
There are fact sheets and ingredient lists for all four vaccines (see the Emergency Use Authorization CDC page at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/eua/index.html ). Please read them before you get your jab.
Update 3/20:
The Johnson and Johnson one-shot vaccine has been released (BUT SEE BELOW -- FDA pauses distribution on 4/13/2021). This is a more traditional vaccine that uses genetic material that does not replicate in the body. The J&J vaccine works with the immune system; it doesn't bypass it as in the experimental mRNA bio-devices. However, it DOES produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that triggers an immune response!
Here's a short summary of the J&J vaccine:
Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is a single-dose adenovirus-based vaccine. It is a viral vector vaccine that uses a weakened live pathogen (adenovirus) as the delivery method (vector) for transporting a recombinant vaccine for COVID-19.
Recombinant vaccines use a small piece of genetic material from the virus to trigger an immune response. This genetic material for COVID-19 does not replicate in the body. A specific piece of the virus can be targeted, and recombinant vaccines are common and generally safe to use in a large population of people—even those with chronic health problems or who are immunocompromised."
https://www.verywellhealth.com/johnson-and-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-5093160
Here is what North Dakota Health says about the J&J vaccine:
What type of vaccine is it?
The J&J COVID-19 vaccine is a non-replicating viral vector vaccine. This differs from the Pfizer & Moderna vaccines, which are both mRNA vaccines.https://www.health.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/COVID%20Vaccine%20Page/Johnson_%26_Johnson_Fact_Sheet.pdf
How does this vaccine work?
This vaccine works by using a viral vector, a harmless virus called adenovirus 26, which has been modified to include a gene that codes for the
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Once the viral vector enters the human cell, it produces the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and that triggers an immune response in our bodies. J&J used this same approach to make an Ebola vaccine that has been authorized for use by the European Medicines Agency."
Unfortunately, deaths have also been reported after taking this vaccine. https://medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?TABLE=ON&GROUP1=AGE&EVENTS=ON&PERPAGE=100&VAX=COVID19&VAXMAN=JANSSEN&DIED=Yes
Update 4/13/2021: The FDA has recommended a pause in the use of this vaccine after several facilities reported adverse reactions:
CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/joint-cdc-and-fda-statement-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine
Update 5/28/2021:
German scientists think they have solved the problem of blood clotting with the J&J and Astro-Zeneca vaccines:
A German scientist may have found a solution to one of the biggest problems plaguing the global vaccine rollout: the rare but sometimes deadly blood clots seen in some vaccinated patients who received the AstraZeneca-Oxford jab. A team of scientists in Germany believes it has pinpointed the cause of these blood clots, which can be eliminated with a relatively easy tweak. According to the FT, Rolf Marschalek, a professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt who has been leading studies into the rare condition since March, said his research showed the problem was related to the adenovirus vectors that both the AstraZeneca vaccine and the J&J vaccine use to deliver the genetic instructions for the spike protein of the Sars-Cov-2 virus into the body.
Here's how Marschalek explained it to the FT.
The delivery mechanism means the vaccines send the DNA gene sequences of the spike protein into the cell nucleus rather than the cytosol fluid found inside the cell where the virus normally produces proteins, Marschalek and other scientists said in a preprint paper released on Wednesday. Once inside the cell nucleus, certain parts of the spike protein DNA are spliced, or split apart, creating mutant versions, which are unable to bind to the cell membrane where important immunisation takes place. The floating mutant proteins are instead secreted by cells into the body, triggering blood clots in roughly one in 100,000 people, according to Marschalek’s theory. In contrast, mRNA-based vaccines, such as the jabs developed by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, deliver the spike’s genetic material to the cell fluid and it never enters the nucleus. “When these . . . virus genes are in the nucleus they can create some problems,” Marschalek told the Financial Times.
On the other hand, the mRNA-based vaccines like those developed by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, deliver the spike’s genetic material to the cell fluid and it never enters the nucleus. "When these...virus genes are in the nucleus they can create some problems," Marschalek told the Financial Times.
...Marschalek believes there is a straightforward "way out" for AstraZeneca and J&J if they can modify the gene sequence that codes for the spike protein. If the vaccine developers can modify this to prevent it from splitting apart, they might be able to eliminate the risk of blood clots altogether.
Tyler Durden, "German Scientist Discovers What Causes Rare Blood Clots In Some AstraZeneca Jab Recipients," https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/german-scientist-discovers-what-causes-rare-blood-clots-some-astrazeneca-jab-recipients
Stay tuned and keep informed about this vaccine.
Update 3/21:
There are three variants of the original COVID-19 in the world. Does your vaccine protect against them?
Variant 1: B.1.1.7 The B.1.1.7 variant was detected in the UK in the fall of 2020. By December 2020, it had spread across the globe, with cases emerging across Europe, North America, and Asia. Currently, the variant has been reported in roughly 94 countries.
Variant 2: B.1.351. In October 2020, the second major variant was discovered—B.1.351. It was first identified in South Africa, but by end of the year, it had spread to the UK, Switzerland, Australia, and Japan. There are approximately 48 countries with reported cases, and research suggests several of the existing COVID-19 vaccines may not be as effective against this variant.
Variant 3: P.1. This variant was the last to arrive on the scene. It was first discovered in January 2021, when Japan reported four cases of the variant, which was found in travelers who had arrived from Brazil. Approximately 25 countries have reported cases of the P.1 variant.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-3-major-covid-19-variants/
Update 4/2/2021:
Let's talk about virology and variants. I'm no expert, but I do know that a virus is a parasite on the host body. However, the virus doesn't want to kill the host, because then the virus dies as well. So what does the virus do? It mutates and becomes less dangerous so it doesn't kill off too many hosts. These mutations are called variants. Variants are being used by medical authorities to justify more vaccinations. Let's let former Pfizer Vice President and Chief Science Officer Dr. Mike Yeadon explain it:
As a general rule, variants form very often, routinely, and tend to become less dangerous & more infectious over time, as it comes into equilibrium with its human host. Variants generally don’t become more dangerous. No variant differs from the original sequence by more than 0.3%. In other words, all variants are at least 99.7% identical to the Wuhan sequence. It’s a fiction, and an evil one at that, that variants are likely to “escape immunity”. Not only is it intrinsically unlikely – because this degree of similarity of variants means zero chance that an immune person (whether from natural infection or from vaccination) will be made ill by a variant – but it’s empirically supported by high-quality research. “The research I refer to shows that people recovering from infection or who have been vaccinated ALL have a wide range of immune cells which recognize ALL the variants."
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/exclusive-former-pfizer-vp-to-aflds-entirely-possible-this-will-be-used-for-massive-scale-depopulation/
All right, so it seems we don't need to worry too much about variants. That's good news.
So there it is. It's a lot of info to digest, but you should be more informed now and be able to make a more intelligent decision about these products.