Monday/ the vaccine rollout: make haste

A vial of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine contains 5-ish doses. After storage for up to 30 days in the Pfizer thermal shipper, vaccination centers can transfer the vials to 2-8°C storage conditions for an additional five days, for a total of up to 35 days. Once thawed and stored under 2-8°C conditions, the vials cannot be re-frozen or stored under frozen conditions.

Of the 11.4 million doses distributed here in the States, only 2.1 million first doses have so far been administered, says the CDC’s website.

Slow and steady may win the race, but we need to make haste. Many lives are at stake.

Here’s an infographic explaining how the RNA-based vaccines work (in German, sorry. English translation notes below it).

1 Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 | RNA genome | Shell with proteins
2 A section of DNA is the blueprint for the protein in the virus shell
3 The RNA segment can be produced and replicated in the laboratory
4 Vaccine
5 Vaccination: the vaccine is injected into the muscle
6 ‘Protein factories’ (ribosomes) in the human cells produce the protein found on the virus shell
7 The human immune system reacts against the protein ..
8 .. and produces antibodies
To become sick from Covid-19, a person would have to be infected with the complete virus. The protein from the virus shell will not make one sick.
9 Infection: If a person is infected with the Sars-CoV2 coronavirus ..
10 .. the antibodies will bond with the protein on the virus shell and that is how the immune system will fight off the virus.

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