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How the COVID-19 vaccines work

Here is a step-by-step description of the process, written with guidance from University of Pennsylvania scientist Drew Weissman, whose work with former colleague Katalin Karikó, now at BioNTech, helped make the vaccines possible.

1. The person administering the shot depresses the syringe into the recipient's arm, injecting billions of tiny spheres made of waxy molecules called lipids. Each one contains several copies of the RNA blueprint for making the spike on a coronavirus particle.
1. The person administering the shot depresses the syringe into the recipient's arm, injecting billions of tiny spheres made of waxy molecules called lipids. Each one contains several copies of the RNA blueprint for making the spike on a coronavirus particle.Read moreDominique DeMoe / Staff artist
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Sports

9/11 Remembrance at Philadelphia International Airport

Members of the Transportation Security Administration honor guard, joined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Philadelphia Police Department Airport Division officers marched through the airport terminals, stopping at each security checkpoint for a moment of silence to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia.

Jose F. Moreno