Vaccinations
Question
CHOOSING SIDES: MRNA VACCINES
Full disclosure from the course developer, Dr. Francis: Dear Students, I have found this to be
a controversial subject within the Christian community. As an immunologist I am pro-vaccine,
but I am part of a large family and my siblings and my children all have different opinions. I
respect all of those opinions and in our family, we have agreed to respect the privacy of each
family to make their own decision about vaccines. Please feel free to share your view in the
discussion. I would urge you to back up your position with data, though. As it is in all our
discussion forums, student work is graded based on the clarity of your writing and the
thoroughness of the defense of your position. No personal view will receive a low score unless it
is not communicated well or involves emotional and unkind dismissal of other views.
What is an mRNA vaccine? An mRNA vaccine is also called a genetic vaccine or nucleic acid
vaccine and contains messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA is the nucleic acid molecule which
is decoded by cells to make a protein in all living organisms. It’s called “messenger” because it’s
a copy of the DNA,” a message from DNA” to make protein. The SARS-CoV2 virus is also
categorized as an RNA virus (Figure 1). It does not contain DNA. The RNA in the SARS-CoV2
virus is released after a SARS-CoV2 virus fuses to a human lung cell. The released viral RNA
holds the code for the proteins to construct a new virus. It is very much like an mRNA found in
human cells. The mRNA in human cells is used to make any protein a cell may need.
The SARS-CoV2 virus infects human cells by using a spike protein which is also coded for by
the viral RNA (Figure 1). The spike protein also is recognized by the human immune system,
but causes the immune system to overreact and this is what causes the damage to the blood
vessels in the lungs in COVID 19 patients. In severe cases, this involves lung damage and the
fluid build-up in the lungs causes a life threatening pneumonia-like condition. Most all COVID19 vaccines are vaccines which cause the human body to make antibodies to the spike protein.
Figure 1 Digital painting of the SARS-CoV2 virus which
has been responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The
light blue strands inside the virus are the RNA molecules
which hold the message to make all the proteins of the virus
and the RNA found inside the virus. The large light
lavender structures are spike proteins sticking out from the
virus outer envelope. Acknowledgement: Illustration by
David S. Goodsell, RCSB Protein Data Bank; doi:
10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-019
ETHC/NASC 210
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The spike protein itself is logically the best candidate for a vaccine. However, the spike protein
is very toxic. It can cause inflammation by itself. It is used in some vaccines but it is a very
cumbersome process to purify enough spike protein for use. About 10-15 years ago, researchers
noted that it’s easier to inject the mRNA code for a protein, like spike protein, as compared to
injecting the protein itself because the vaccine can be made much quicker. In the case of
COVID-19, you don’t have to make a lot of spike protein which minimizes the process time.
Furthermore, if the spike protein mutates, the mRNA can be changed to match the mutation
rather quickly.
The process occurs as such: mRNA is injected into our cells, likely some muscle cells in our
arm, and it begins to be used by the cell to make spike protein. Spike protein locates on the
surface of the human body cells, is secreted, and/or is released when some of our muscle cells
die. The immune system eventually destroys these spike protein creating cells and the RNA.
Some of this process is still a mystery. One thing is for certain, vaccines elicit the making of
antibodies which are important first responder immune system proteins. The antibodies do not
kill viruses but tag them for destruction and removal by white blood cells. They are remarkable
and wondrous proteins. The mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are the first mRNA vaccines used
for treatment of a viral infection in humans.
Concerns about the mRNA vaccine. The mRNA vaccine is controversial because we are
injecting people with a genetic component that can be active in human cells. Here are some
questions about concerns:
Could this alter our cells and cause us to have a different genetic code? The simple
answer appears to be no because the mRNA only goes into certain cells and it has a short
half-life…meaning that it can break down quickly which is normal for all mRNA even
the natural mRNA made in our cells every minute each day. However, this is a new
vaccine so we do not know for sure if there is some kind of long term retention of the
mRNA, but it would be unusual.
How can the mRNA get into our cells where it is decoded to make virus proteins? It
is delivered to cells by a lipid nanoparticle (Figure 2). The lipid nanoparticle is very
much like a cell membrane that surrounds the mRNA. All cell membranes are made of
lipids and are hydrophobic. Things that are hydrophobic like to get close together to
avoid water. So, the nanoparticle fuses to our cells in our arms when we get a shot and
delivers the mRNA to muscle cells in our arm. The mRNA in a small number of our
muscles cells then begins to be part of a process to make spike protein.
Side effects occur, including death in some cases. Does this mean the vaccine is
dangerous? One argument is that the current mRNA COVID 19 vaccines are safe,
because the death rate is very low compared to other vaccines and all medical treatments
can have side effects.
1
Interestingly in one early trial involving the Pfizer mRNA vaccine
1 Death rate for any vaccine can be found here: https://wonder.cdc.gov/vaers.html. One thing to remember, the
VAERS database is a collection of data that is based on antidotal evidence. It’s data submitted by the public at large
ETHC/NASC 210
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in humans, over 40,000 volunteers were vaccinated, two died after the vaccine was given
and six died from the placebo. It’s very possible all died from natural causes.
What about syndromes like Autism and Guillain-Barre syndrome? Some vaccines
have been associated with these two syndromes. It’s probably too soon to know about
autism for COVID-19 vaccines and not many children are getting vaccinated. Autism
has thought to have been associated with some vaccines but it’s a true controversy in
medicine whether there really is an association. As of October of 2021, the Johnson and
Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been associated with Guillain-Barr syndrome. This
syndrome is caused by an acute attack against the nervous system by the immune
system. It can cause tingling and paralysis. Viruses are the usual culprit. The syndrome
occurs after a few weeks go by after an infection or vaccination. The mortality rate can
be as high as 8%, and in 60-80% of cases involving paralysis, patients can walk again
within 6 months.2
Guillain-Barr syndrome was associated with the flu vaccine in the
1970s, and the national campaign for the flu vaccine was ended after millions of
Americans were vaccinated and hundreds of cases of Guillain-Barr syndrome occurred.
Unfortunately, this vaccine which was not an mRNA vaccine, was only made and
approved within a few months, a much shorter time frame than the approval process for
the current mRNA vaccines.
Could there be long term effects like sterility with the current mRNA vaccines?
There was concern about the current COVID-19 vaccines and sterility. Apparently, this
idea was communicated by someone in the medical academic community, but it has not
been proven to be true. For other long term effects we just do not know and will not
know for some time. With the current mRNA vaccines in use now for over a year, you
would expect there would be some data to show that it does not affect fertility in the
short term. Vaccines for viruses and bacterial based disease have been around for two
centuries and we are not aware of any long term deleterious effects from these vaccines.
Could vaccines wipe out humanity? There are some so-called experts who have made this
claim. Again, since vaccines have been used for two centuries there is no evidence of massive
deaths due to vaccines.3 General references to pro and anti-vaccination views:
Stephen M. Perle, (2017) War Without End: The Case for Vaccination, Chiropractic
Economics
Timothy Perenich, (2017) We Are Not Told…The Case Against Vaccination, Chiropractic
Economics
Both these of articles are available online here: https://www.chiroeco.com/vaccination-debate/
2 Statistics are from the Mayo Clinic website retrieved on July 24, 2021. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/guillain-barre-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20362793
3 https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all
ETHC/NASC 210
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Figure 2 Digital painting of the structure of
messenger RNA vaccine. Messenger RNA (mRNA)
vaccines developed for the COVID-19 pandemic are
composed of long strands of RNA (magenta) that
encode the SARS-CoV-2 spike surface glycoprotein
enclosed in lipids (blue) that deliver the RNA into
cells. Several different types of lipids are used,
including familiar lipids, cholesterol, ionizable lipids
that interact with RNA, and lipids connected to
polyethylene glycol chains (green) that help shield
the vaccine from the immune system, lengthening its
lifetime following administration. In this idealized
illustration, all of the lipids are arranged in a simple
circular bilayer that surrounds the mRNA and the
PEG strands have both extended and folded
conformations.
Acknowledgement: Illustration by David S.
Goodsell, RCSB Protein Data Bank; doi:
10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-027.


Solution
Vaccinations
In
the United States, vaccines have significantly reduced or eliminated numerous infectious
diseases that were once considered the main cause of death among infants,
children, and adults. However, if one does not get vaccinated, viruses and
bacteria causing these diseases are still out there, and any unvaccinated
individual can contract it. There has been confusion and misunderstanding among
people regarding vaccines and if they are a threat or not. However,
vaccinations are safe and an important part of public health.
Through vaccinations, the spread of contagious
and deadly illnesses is controlled. Chickenpox, whooping cough, polio, and
measles are some of the commonest diseases whose infections have been
significantly controlled through vaccinations (Taylor et al., 2020). Vaccines
help the body build a defense system that fights foreign germs that can hurt an
individual.
There
are indeed some side effects when one gets vaccinated, but in most cases, these
implications are mild, considering that effects such as redness or swelling of
the injection spot tend to disappear after one or two days (Taylor et al.,
2020). According to Furer et al. (2020), it takes years of development before a
vaccine is considered safe and effective. Therefore, vaccines are safe, and as
noted, their use by far outweighs the few risks of side effects.
If
most of the vaccinations done today were to be stopped, there is a high
likelihood that most of these diseases would start coming back. According to
Taylor et al. (2020), in the 1970s, Japan had a good vaccination program for
whooping cough, and more than 90% of Japanese children were vaccinated.
However, a rumor started spreading that the vaccine was not safe and
unnecessary; by 1976, less than 10% of children got vaccinated (Taylor et al.,
2020). As a result, in 1979, a pertussis epidemic was declared, and it left
more than 13,000 children sick and 41 dead. However, soon after people learned
the importance of those vaccines, the number of cases reduced significantly.
Therefore, vaccines are good, and they should not be prohibited based on false
and untested information propagated out there.
References
Furer, V., Rondaan, C.,
Heijstek, M. W., Agmon-Levin, N., Van Assen, S., Bijl, M., ... & Elkayam,
O. (2020). 2019 update of EULAR recommendations for vaccination in adult
patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Annals of the
rheumatic diseases, 79(1), 39-52.
Taylor, S., Landry, C.
A., Paluszek, M. M., Groenewoud, R., Rachor, G. S., & Asmundson, G. J.
(2020). A proactive approach for managing COVID-19: the importance of understanding
the motivational roots of vaccination hesitancy for SARS-CoV2. Frontiers
in psychology, 2890.



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