Pfizer’s vaccine contains ten main ingredients. Neither of them is a government authorized microchip.
Contrary to what conspiracy theorists will tell you, there are no tracking devices in the EU Covid-19 Vaccine, regardless of who made it.
When India debates vaccine approval next week, the content of the two main vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna is controversial – what do they actually contain?
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna both released their ingredient list and anyone can look it up to see what your vaccine will contain.
There’s one active ingredient in Pfizer’s vaccine: a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA, which contains genetic instructions for a Coronavirus Protein called spike. Once injected, the mRNA instructs human cells to create spikes, exposing the immune system to a highly recognizable trait of the virus. The idea is to help the body learn one of the most important characteristics of the virus so that the virus will be recognized and quickly cleared if it tries to establish an infection, the article explains.
The mRNA is broken down quickly and does not leave any traces in the body. All that remains is a molecular memory of the virus – the intended target of any vaccine.
Pfizer’s vaccine also contains nine other ingredients. Four of them are lipids with incredibly complex chemical names: ((4-Hydroxybutyl) azandiyl) bis (hexane-6,1-diyl) bis (ALC-3015); (2-hexyl decanoate), 2-[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N, N-ditetradecylacetamide (ALC-0159); 1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine (DPSC); and cholesterol.
The Pfizer vaccine, like one made by Moderna, uses lipid nanoparticles to coat the RNA. The nanoparticles are basically tiny, fatty spheres that protect the mRNA and help it slide into cells, reports Technology review.
Moderna, the other vaccine maker that recently received emergency approval from the FDA, also released an information sheet detailing the ingredients in the vaccine COVID-19 Vaccine. The Moderna vaccine contains ribonucleic acid (mRNA) lipids or fatty substances, including SM (sphyngomyelin) -102, polyethylene glycol [PEG] 2000 dimyristoylglycerin [DMG]1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine [DSPC],
and cholesterol. It also contains tromethamine, tromethamine hydrochloride, acetic acid, sodium acetate, sucrose (sugar).
A mixture of sugar, salt, and fats cushions the battle cells and enables the vaccine to be delivered by intramuscular injection.
READ: Covid-19 vaccines don’t contain a microchip, but Twitter injected memes anyway
Even religion chooses science when it comes to vaccines: the United Arab Emirates ‘highest Islamic authority, the United Arab Emirates’ Fatwa Council, has decided Coronavirus Vaccines are allowed for Muslims even if they contain pig gelatin.
The ruling follows growing concerns that the use of pork gelatin, a common vaccine ingredient, may hinder the vaccination of Muslims who consider the consumption of pork products to be “haram” or prohibited under Islamic law.
The council added that in this case the pork gelatin is considered a medicine rather than a food. Several vaccines have already been shown to be effective against a highly contagious virus that “poses a risk to society as a whole.
In a similar case, the Vatican informed Catholics on Monday that the use was morally acceptable COVID-19 Vaccines, even if cell lines derived from the tissues of aborted fetuses were used in their manufacture.
A note from the Vatican’s teaching congregation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the use of such vaccines is permissible as long as there are no alternatives.