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Different types of COVID-19 vaccines: How they work

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COVID-19 vaccines lower the risk of getting sick, seriously ill or dying from the disease. But how do the different types of COVID-19 vaccines work?

Each COVID-19 vaccine causes the immune system to create proteins called antibodies. These proteins fight infection with the COVID-19 virus. COVID-19 vaccines use a harmless version of a spikelike structure called an S protein on the surface of the COVID-19 virus.

There are a few main types of COVID-19 vaccines.