What is the Covid vaccine and will it help us stop Covid?

The Covid-19 vaccine has been all over the news, with hope rising that it will help stop us from getting Covid-19, but is it safe? Can we trust it? Will this stop Covid-19? 

First we need to understand what a vaccine is and how it works. In the article titled “How Covid-19 vaccine works” by the CDC it states that, “COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness.” This means that a Covid- 19 vaccines help us develop immunity to the virus. This is important since it will help keep us from getting sick, but while we are still developing immunity we might  still be able to spread the virus.

Now, we need to know if the vaccine is safe. In the article called, “COVID-19 and what we need to know” by the John Hopkins School of Medicine in the section called “How would we know if a Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective” it states that, “A COVID-19 vaccine must pass certain tests and standards. Organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes for Health, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use scientific data from research to help decide if and when new drugs and vaccines can become available to the public.” This is important because it tells us that a vaccine needs to be put on a test and approved by the FDA.  The Covid-19 vaccines that are available hav been tested and proven safe. 

Now we know it’s safe, but how is it effective at stopping covid-19? In the article called, “How vaccines work” by the British Society of Immunology in the section titled, “How effective is a vaccination?” it states that “Vaccination is extremely effective with most childhood vaccines effective in 85% to 95% of children who receive them. It is considered one of our greatest global health achievements and is estimated to save 2–3 million lives a year.”  This is important because it tells us that if many people get vaccinated, we will be able to save  many lives and slow the spread of COVID-19.

With all of this, I think this Covid vaccine will help us take down Covid-19, but this won’t help if we don’t stay 6 feet away from each other, wear a mask, and wash our hands. Everyone has to do their part to help us stop the virus.