Malaysia’s Developing Two COVID-19 Vaccines
And here’s what you need to know about the mRNA vaccine type.
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In a statement made today (June 13), Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba has revealed that Malaysia is developing two types of Covid-19 vaccines under the Institute for Medical Research (IMR).
It is part of our efforts to increase our capacity for vaccine development, as well as in preparing for future pandemics.
Dr Adham in a statement on Sunday (June 13)
The two vaccines in progress are the ribonucleic acid vaccine or messenger RNA vaccines (mRNA) and the inactivated vaccine types.
Malaysia currently offers three vaccines under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. They are Pfizer-BioNTech (an mRNA vaccine), Sinovac (inactivated vaccine) and AstraZeneca (Adenovirus-Based vaccine).
Explaining coronavirus vaccine types to science-challenged people
The best Covid-19 vaccine is the first one that is available to you. However, if you want to know more about how these vaccines work, Verywell Health published an article with experts sharing creative explanations on how mRNA technology works.
Dr. Tom Frieden, a physician trained in infectious diseases, compared the vaccine to e-mails and Snapchat.
An mRNA vaccine doesn't actually contain the virus itself. Think of it as an email sent to your immune system that shows what the virus looks like, instructions to kill it, and then—like a Snapchat message—it disappears. Amazing technology.
— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) December 15, 2020
The former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) likens the mRNA as a deleted email or a disappearing Snapchat. It doesn’t actually do anything to your immune system or the virus but instead sends instructions to your body’s inbox to interpret it. And then, it gets erased.
If music is more your preference over e-mails, then think of it as the catchiest part of a song.
mRNA #vaccines are like playing the most catchy part of a song on loop until it's recognizable even without the whole song and you can stop it from being played again immediately …
— Amar Kelkar MD (@amarkelkar) December 14, 2020
Sooo basically, we're using #COVID19 spike proteins to rickroll your immune system. #medtwitter https://t.co/dawbH2CM5w pic.twitter.com/pDQhcZt5Oi
Dr Amar Kelkar, a current fellow at the University of Florida Health division of hematology and oncology, likens mRNA to the catchiest part of a song. That part of the song, or the protein, in this case, will be so recognizable that your body will be able to detect it later on if the virus enters your body.
While there weren’t any creative explanations to what an inactivated vaccine is, the tl;dr version is that its genetic code triggers the body to make viral proteins (not the whole virus) which is enough to train the immune system to attack.
READ MORE: Should Malaysia Follow The Philippines And Not Tell You What Vaccine You’re Getting?
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