Medical Emergencies · single question
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine works by which mechanism?
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Correct answer: C. mRNA instructs cells to produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, triggering immunity
- A. It is not a live-virus vaccine; no whole virus is present.
- B. It is not a live attenuated vaccine.
- C. Correct. Pfizer-BioNTech is an mRNA vaccine. The mRNA codes for the spike (S) protein; host cells translate it, the immune system recognizes the spike, and protective antibodies/T-cells develop.
- D. The vaccine does not contain a self-replicating protein; it delivers mRNA encoding the spike protein.
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