Will the COVID-19 vaccines alter my child’s DNA? (Chicago's Advocate Children’s Hospital)

The way in which the vaccine was made does not target DNA for adults or children, so it cannot affect or change a person’s DNA. Essentially, mRNA vaccines teach cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. This allows our immune system to more quickly recognize the virus that causes COVID-19, mount an immune response, and more quickly handle the virus. This mechanism of vaccine development has been studied since 2011 and is both safe and effective. The first COVID-19 vaccines to reach the market were messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. According to the CDC, mRNA vaccines work by instructing cells in the body how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. Injecting mRNA into your body will not interact or do anything to the DNA of your cells. Human cells break down and get rid of the mRNA soon after they have finished using the instructions.