Appliance of Science: How does an RNA vaccine work and how close are we to a Covid-19 vaccine?

By now we have all heard the news that not one, but two, trial vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) have reported some very promising results. But what does that mean exactly and what does an RNA vaccine do?

Cathal Fahey, Lab Scientist, RocDoc, Dublin Airport. Pic: Maxwells

We all have a fair idea of what a vaccine does, but we may be unsure of the finer details. A vaccine is a biological preparation that aims to protect us against a specific disease. The concept is to introduce something into the body that triggers our immune systems to produce antibodies. These antibodies can then recognise and attack a specific pathogen (like a virus) if it does ever enter the body. A vaccine allows our immune system to learn how to fight that specific pathogen without actually having to contract the disease.