What You Need to Know About mRNA Vaccines

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines are designed to produce an immune response that protects us against the virus that causes COVID-19.
The two currently authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccines available in Ontario are the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

The vaccine works by delivering genetic instructions, mRNA, to our cells to produce a copy of a protein that is found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus.
These viral proteins, known as antigens, are recognized by the body which starts an immune response.
The vaccine does not give you the virus or cause an infection. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the mRNA from the vaccine.

The mRNA vaccines were authorized by Health Canada after they were shown to be safe, effective and of high quality in clinical trials with 70,000 people.
In clinical trials, the mRNA vaccines were more than 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 among people who had received two doses.
The vaccines cannot give you COVID-19.
The vaccines do not interfere with COVID-19 test results used to look for infection and do not give false positive test results.
More research is being done to determine how long the vaccine protection lasts and if it will prevent others around you from getting sick with COVID-19.

The most common side effects are pain at the injection site, fatigue and a headache.
Other common side effects can include: fever, chills, muscle pain and joint pain.
These side effects usually occur within 1-2 days after vaccination and go away within 1-3 days.
Until vaccines are widely available, it is important to continue to protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19.
Keep practicing protective measures such as washing your hands, physical distancing, covering your mouth when you cough, wearing a mask and following local public health guidance.

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