

The immune system quickly identifies, attacks and destroys the spike proteins because it recognizes them as not part of you. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) estimates that the spike proteins that were generated by COVID-19 vaccines last up to a few weeks, like other proteins made by the body. How long do spike proteins last in the body?

mRNA is very fragile that's one reason why mRNA vaccines must be so carefully preserved at very low temperatures. The cell breaks the mRNA up into small harmless pieces. The cells make copies of the spike protein and the mRNA is quickly degraded (within a few days). The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work by introducing mRNA (messenger RNA) into your muscle cells. So antibodies created against the spike protein won't harm your body, they will only target coronavirus. The spike protein is unique to SARS-CoV-2 – it doesn't look like other proteins your body makes.

Its location on the outside of the virus makes it so the immune system can recognize it easily. The spike protein is located on the outside of a coronavirus and is how SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) enters human cells. Why do they use spike proteins?įor COVID-19 vaccines, all of the approved vaccines so far used the spike protein. There is no evidence that any mRNA or protein accumulates in any organ. Here we break down the data to show where mRNA vaccines (and spike proteins) travel in the body. Some have expressed concern that the spike protein or other parts of the mRNA vaccines build up in the body, particularly in the ovaries or the brain. When it encounters the virus or bacteria in the real world it mounts a strong immune response preventing or decreasing the severity of infection. While the piece introduced by the vaccine rapidly fades away, your body's immune system remembers what it saw. Vaccines generally work by introducing a piece of a virus or bacteria into your body so you can develop long-lasting immunity to the pathogen.
