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Different types of COVID-19 vaccines: How they work

A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine can prevent you from getting COVID-19 or from becoming seriously ill or dying due to COVID-19. But how do the different types of COVID-19 vaccines work?

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

The main types of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. or being studied include:

The COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are:

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