We want to make sure that you are informed about what the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are — and aren’t — capable of.

What exactly is an mRNA vaccine and what sort of effects does it produce in a vaccine recipient?

For starters, these vaccines teach our immune systems how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus and provides our bodies with the means to fight the virus that causes COVID-19.

The large-scale clinical trials revealed that the vaccine prevents serious COVID-19 illness about 95% of the time. Every day, we are learning more about whether the vaccines will prevent infection or transmission. As we all know by now, it is going to take some time for everyone to get vaccinated. We don’t yet know when we’ll be able to stop wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, but OHA will continue to watch the spread of the disease in Oregon. When the spread of the disease is low enough, we’ll see some changes to these protective measures.

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English and Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

This article first appeared in the Feb. 24, 2021 issue of Oregon Coronavirus Update.