{"id":1192,"date":"2025-10-07T14:38:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eqht.net\/?page_id=1192"},"modified":"2025-10-07T14:40:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:40:06","slug":"a-simple-breakdown-of-the-ingredients-in-the-covid-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eqht.net\/?page_id=1192","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Breakdown of the Ingredients in the COVID Vaccines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January 11, 2021
Clinical Contributors to this Story
Juan C. Ravell, M.D.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0contributes to topics such as\u00a0Allergy and Immunology<\/strong>.
Three COVID-19 vaccines have been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since mid-December 2020. Prior to authorization by the FDA, these vaccines underwent the same rigorous safety and effectiveness standards as all other vaccines. Quickly, vaccine distribution began, starting with health care professionals on the frontlines of patient care.
Once available to the broader public, it\u2019s critical that a high percentage of the population receive the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19. Herd immunity occurs when most of a population is immune to an infectious disease (either from previous infection and\/or vaccination) and provides indirect protection to those who are not immune to the disease.
There have been many rumors flying around on the internet about what\u2019s in the vaccine. Some rumors even suggested that the vaccines contain gluten, wheat, eggs and even bee venom! All of that is simply, untrue.
If you\u2019re among the many wondering \u201cwhat\u2019s actually in it?\u201d and, \u201cis it safe to receive the injection?\u201d, keep reading.
COVID Vaccine Ingredients<\/strong>
There are two COVID-19 messenger-ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines currently authorized for emergent use in the United States: the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines. A third vaccine developed by Johnson &Johnson (J&J) Janssen uses a viral vector platform. Conventional vaccines, rely on weakened and inactivated pathogens or a fragment of the pathogen to trigger an immune response. In contrast, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines use a new approach by which mRNA is delivered into our cells to provide the genetic instructions for our own cells to \u201ctemporarily\u201d make a \u201cspecific\u201d viral protein (the coronavirus spike protein) that triggers an immune response. The J&J COVID-19 vaccine is a type of \u201creplication-incompetent vector vaccine.\u201d This vaccine also contains the genetic instructions to express a stabilized coronavirus spike protein, but instead of mRNA, these instructions are delivered via DNA stored inside a modified vector virus (Adenovirus 26). This adenovirus has been engineered to enter the human cells and deliver the desired genetic information without replicating itself or causing illness. Once inside the cells, the DNA encoding for the coronavirus spike protein can be read by the cell and transcribed into mRNA. At this point, the J&J vaccine acts similarly to the mRNA vaccines.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is made of the following ingredients:
mRNA\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Also known as messenger ribonucleic acid, mRNA is the only active ingredient in the vaccine. The mRNA molecules contain the genetic material that provide instructions for our body on how to make a viral protein that triggers an immune response within our bodies. The immune response is what causes our bodies to make the antibodies needed to protect us from getting infected if exposed to the coronavirus.
There are rumors that mRNA vaccines will alter our DNA because the RNA molecule can convert information stored in DNA into proteins. That\u2019s simply, not true. It\u2019s critical to note that the mRNA vaccines never enter the nucleus of the cell, where our DNA is stored. After injection, the mRNA from the vaccine is released into the cytoplasm of the cells. Once the viral protein is made and on the surface of the cell, mRNA is broken down and the body permanently gets rid of it, therefore making it impossible to change our DNA.
Lipids \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The following lipids are in the new COVID vaccine. Their main role is to protect the mRNA and provide somewhat of a \u201cgreasy\u201d exterior that helps the mRNA slide inside the cells.
((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis
(2-hexyldecanoate), 2 [(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide
1,2-Distearoyl-snglycero-3- phosphocholine
cholesterol
Salts \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The following salts are included in the Pfizer vaccine and help balance the acidity in your body.
potassium chloride
monobasic potassium phosphate
sodium chloride
dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate
Sugar \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Basic table sugar, also known as sucrose, can also be found in the new COVID vaccine. This ingredient helps the molecules maintain their shape during freezing.
The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is made of the following ingredients:
mRNA \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Like the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, Moderna\u2019s also uses mRNA technology to build antibodies against COVID-19.
Lipids<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Moderna vaccine also requires lipids to help deliver the mRNA to the cells.
SM-102
1,2-dimyristoyl-rac-glycero3-methoxypolyethylene glycol-2000 [PEG2000-DMG]
cholesterol
1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine [DSPC]
The remaining ingredients (below), including acids, acid stabilizers, salt and sugar all work together to maintain the stability of the vaccine after it\u2019s produced.
Acids<\/strong>
Acetic acid
Acid Stabilizers<\/strong>
Tromethamine & Tromethamine hydrochloride
Salts<\/strong>
Sodium acetate
Sugar<\/strong>
Sucrose
The Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is made of the following ingredients:
Recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein:<\/strong>a modified and harmless version of a different virus (Adenovirus 26) is used as a \u201cvector\u201d to deliverthe DNA gene sequence to produce the coronavirus spike protein. Once the modified adenovirus vaccine enters into the cells, the body of the virus essentially disintegrates and the DNA material within it travels into the nucleus of the human cell where it is transcribed into mRNA. The coronavirus spike protein is then produced and displayed on the cell\u2019s surface, prompting the immune system to begin producing antibodies and activating T-cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection.
The Adenovirus 26 in the J&J vaccine does not replicate, and like the mRNA vaccines, does not change our genetic code.
Acids
citric acid monohydrate
Salts
trisodium citrate dihydrate
Sugars
2-hydroxypropyl-\u03b2-cyclodextrin (HBCD)
polysorbate-80, sodium chloride
Other ingredients
ethanol
That\u2019s it!<\/em>
\u201cOverall, the main ingredients in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are very similar, and all three vaccines were found to be safe and efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 disease in rigorously conducted clinical trials. These COVID-19 vaccines are safe and went through the same rigorous testing process as other vaccines before being approved for emergent use in the United States. Although local and systemic side effects have been reported, as is the case for many other medical interventions, the risk of lacking protection against COVID-19 and developing severe disease far exceeds those posed by the vaccine itself. \u201d says\u00a0Juan Ravell, M.D.,<\/a>\u00a0division chief of allergy and immunology at Hackensack University Medical Center. \u201cThese ingredients are safe and the development of these COVID-19 vaccines marks a huge step towards acquiring herd immunity and the end of this pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January 11, 2021Clinical Contributors to this StoryJuan C. Ravell, M.D.\u00a0contributes to topics such as\u00a0Allergy and Immunology.Three COVID-19 vaccines have been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and … <\/p>\n

Read more “A Simple Breakdown of the Ingredients in the COVID Vaccines”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":550,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","inspiro_hide_title":false,"inspiro_hide_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1192","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":538,"url":"https:\/\/eqht.net\/?page_id=538","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":0},"title":"Three COVID-19 vaccines","author":"Info@EQHT.net","date":"2025-09-11","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 January 11, 2021 Clinical Contributors to this Story Juan C. Ravell, M.D.\u00a0contributes to topics such as\u00a0Allergy and Immunology. 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