[What are the differences between the various covid-19 vaccines?]

The coronavirus pandemic is caused by the SARS-CoV-2. Vaccination appears to offer the way out of this pandemic. Vaccines against this virus make use of the SARS-CoV-2's spike protein, an essential protein on the surface of the virus that it uses to attach itself to the host cells. In viral vector vaccines (AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Johnson & Johnson) the gene for the spike protein is introduced into an adenovirus. Following vaccination, the modified adenovirus will infect cells of the host, which will subsequently start to produce the spike protein, causing an immune response. RNA vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna) only introduce messenger RNA for the spike protein into host cells, which the messenger RNA uses to produce spike protein. Viral vector vaccines and RNA vaccines are not only faster to develop and safer to produce than traditional vaccines, they are also easier to modify to new viruses and virus variants. The latter may be of great importance for future pandemics.