Heralded as our escape route from the pandemic, the Covid-19 vaccine roll out has been largely welcomed, with the majority eager to take up their jab offer. Nevertheless, fuelled by rumours about its contents, a significant minority remain resistant to this movement. If you count yourself among those sceptics, I hope to provide some reassurance.

Dubbed 'anti-vaxxers', their reluctance resides from a multitude of reasons, from religious believes to government spy-ware conspiracies. Aside from the outlandish theorists, many of this group are unfairly vilified for genuine concerns to their health. Afterall, a fundamental rule of science is not to accept what others have told you, but to think for yourself. After over a year of following government advice obediently, and in the wake of multiple failed attempts to deal with the virus, perhaps it is understandable some are so unwilling.

Nonetheless, it is more than apparent that without a successful vaccine program, Covid-19 will continue to spread through the population, either resulting in continued lockdowns and restrictions to our lives; or an admittance of defeat, a return to normal life despite many still being at risk and having to accept many will die in the name of 'natural selection'. To avoid such a choice, enough of the population must take the vaccine to develop herd immunity. This is a state where enough of the population is immune that those that are not immunised, are protected by the fact they are unlikely to come in to contact with the virus.

In this pursuit, it is important to address a primary concern for many still avoiding vaccination – what is in the vaccine? Herein, I will explain the presences of each ingredient of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as stated on the Medical & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency website. To the disappointment of the extreme sceptics, without the ability to test the liquid I will have to rely on this list, aware of the remote possibility we are being lied to. Nonetheless, I am confident in ignoring this caveat, putting my trust not in the government or big pharma, but the countless trained, credible professionals, that have worked to develop, manufacture and quality assure the vaccine.

The active substance is BNT162b2 RNA. The other ingredients are a mixture of lipids (fats), salts, sugar, and water.

The RNA

This is the synthetically made messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is a single stranded version of DNA and is transcribed based on the DNA code. It is then used to translate this code into a sequence of amino acids that will fold to form proteins, which the cell will produce to fulfil a variety of functions. Simply, mRNA functions as instructions to the cell what protein it should make. The word 'synthetic' should not be feared. The components of the synthetic mRNA are the same as in those that are made within our cells, it simply means the genetic code was decided by scientists. Once inside the cell, the BNT162b2 RNA will instruct the cell to make and display the viral spike proteins on the outer surface of the cell. This will allow immune cells to perceive the foreign protein and mount a defense response without having been in contact with any live virus.

The Lipids

  • ALC-0315 = (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)
  • ALC-0159 = 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide
  • 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine
  • Cholesterol

Naked mRNAs are quickly degraded inside the body. Therefore, to deliver the mRNA into cells a lipid shell encapsulates the mRNA. ALC-0315, ALC-0159 and 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine are sophisticated lipids that combine to form lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). These are spherical vesicles that are positively charged allowing them to coat the negative mRNA and can be taken up by cells through a process called endocytosis. Whilst cholesterol has several negative connotations, it has a critical role in the structure of cell membranes. In the lipid mixture, it provides structural integrity.

The Salts

  • potassium chloride
  • potassium dihydrogen phosphate
  • sodium chloride
  • disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate

The salts function as a buffer to maintain pH levels within a range that allows the vaccine to work most optimally.

Sugar

Sucrose is just a simple sugar which is used to maintain the shape of proteins in their native form. This is to ensure the active substances maintain their potency through manufacture, freezing and transport.

Whilst this article only covers the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the components of the others will be very similar, differing slightly depending on the mechanism of action. Importantly all the substances are found in your body at some level. Despite the fears of those suffering with intolerances, there are no ingredients such as egg, gluten, or wheat.

Of course, it is unrealistic to expect everyone to accept vaccination and hopefully for effective herd immunity, not everyone will have to. However, as I have shown, resistance should not be generated by fears of malignant ingredients within the vaccine. With no doubt over "what is actually in it?" - hopefully more people will take up their offer of vaccination, leading to an acceleration towards herd immunity, and a return to normality.

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