• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Spanish by Doc Molly

Interactive audio Spanish lessons for learning medical Spanish and Spanish grammar on the go.

Practical Spanish for
Healthcare & Elsewhere

  • Home
  • Medical Spanish
  • Spanish Grammar
  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Help
  • Courses
    • History and Exam
    • Spanish for Abdominal Pain
    • Spanish for Emergencies
    • Spanish for Dentistry
    • Spanish for Cancer Care
    • Spanish for COPD
    • Spanish for Vertigo
  • Members
    • Login
    • Member Home
    • Course Dashboard
    • Redeem Points
    • Bonus Content

New Variants and Covid Vaccines in Spanish

By Doc Molly on February 17, 2021 2

This is the fifth of a series of discussions in Spanish about the new COVID-19 vaccines.  

In this lesson, Elizabeth Cortéz, my Spanish teacher at the San Pedro Spanish School in Guatemala, discusses vaccine effectiveness against the new variants of coronavirus. In an upcoming lesson, we’ll discuss how it is important to continue following the guidelines even after vaccination.

More Lessons on Spanish for COVID-19

The primary purpose of these lessons is to practice useful Spanish vocabulary and phrases when discussing vaccination against Covid-19. Much of the discussion refers to the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna and the information regarding all the Covid-19 vaccines may change as we learn more. Therefore, when speaking with patients, you should always use information provided by current trusted medical sources. 

LEVEL - UPPER INTERMEDIATE

Quick Navigation
¿Me va a proteger de las nuevas variantes?
Es normal que un virus mute
Puede que disminuyan la efectividad 
Mutaciones afectan a una parte del componente 
Reconocer este componente en su conjunto 
Vacunas de refuerzo 
Mantener su protección
¿Qué tan efectiva es la vacuna?
References
Related Lessons
Quiz

¿Me va a proteger de las nuevas variantes?

2:09

Pregunta: 

He escuchado que el virus ha mutado. ¿La vacuna me va a proteger de estas nuevas variantes del coronavirus también?

Respuesta: 

Sí, es normal que un virus mute a medida que se propaga por la población. Puede ser que las nuevas variantes disminuyan la efectividad de la vacuna, pero no es probable que la hagan totalmente inefectiva. Esto se debe a que la vacuna presenta un componente del virus a nuestro sistema inmunológico y las mutaciones suelen afectar sólo a una pequeña parte de ese componente. Por lo tanto, nuestro sistema inmunológico continuará reconociendo este componente en su conjunto, y a su vez, será capaz de combatir el virus.

En caso de que la efectividad contra las variantes sea muy baja, los científicos están desarrollando nuevas vacunas de refuerzo. Por eso, puede ser que usted necesite otra inyección en el futuro para mantener su protección contra el virus. 


Es normal que un virus mute

3:13

Sí, es normal que un virus mute a medida que se propaga por la población. 

mutar
to mutate

We use the SUBJUNCTIVE following the IMPERSONAL EXPRESSION, “es normal que” because it expresses a judgment over what comes next. 
Es normal que un virus mute. 

  • We cover this use of the subjunctive in our free lesson: Quiz #2 – The Subjunctive in Noun Clauses. Spanish Grammar members, see: Subj05 Influence Emotion and Judgments.

propagarse
to spread

a medida que se propaga por la población
as it spreads through the population

Puede que disminuyan la efectividad 

4:09

Puede ser que las nuevas variantes disminuyan la efectividad de la vacuna pero no es probable que la hagan totalmente inefectiva.

disminuir
to decrease

la efectividad / la eficacia
effectiveness

efectivo / eficaz
effective

la variante
variante

We use of the SUBJUNCTIVE following expressions of uncertainty. 

Puede ser que > subjuntivo
Puede ser que disminuyan la efectividad

No es probable que > subjuntivo
No es probable que la hagan inefectiva

  • We cover this use of the subjunctive in our free lesson: Quiz #2 – The Subjunctive in Noun Clauses  Spanish Grammar members, see: Subj06 Disbelief Denial – Uncertainty  

Mutaciones afectan a una parte del componente 

5:46

Esto se debe a que la vacuna presenta un componente del virus a nuestro sistema inmunológico y las mutaciones suelen afectar sólo a una pequeña parte de ese componente.

deberse a
to be due to

el componente
component, part

el sistema inmunológico / inmune
immune system

la mutación
mutation

soler + Infinitivo
Las mutaciones suelen afectar sólo a una pequeña parte de ese componente.
Mutations usually affect only a small part of that component.

  • Note the use of the preposición a following afectar: afectar + a

Reconocer este componente en su conjunto 

7:32

Por lo tanto, nuestro sistema inmunológico continuará reconociendo este componente en su conjunto, y a su vez, será capaz de combatir el virus.

en su conjunto
in its entirety, as a whole

y a su vez
in turn

to be able to
ser capaz de

Será capaz de combatir el virus.
It will be able to fight the virus.

Vacunas de refuerzo 

8:30

En caso de que la efectividad contra nuevas variantes sea muy baja, los científicos están desarrollando nuevas vacunas de refuerzo.

En caso de que > subjuntivo
En caso de que sea baja  

  • We cover this use of the subjunctive in Quiz # 4 – The Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses. Spanish Grammar members, see: Subj10 Subjunctive Required and Subj11 Subjunctive Required. 

(las) vacunas de refuerzo
booster vaccines

Mantener su protección

9:06

Por eso, puede ser que usted necesite otra inyección en el futuro para mantener su protección contra el virus.

puede ser que > subjuntivo
Puede ser que usted necesite otra inyección.

para mantener su protección contra el virus
to maintain your protección against the virus

¿Qué tan efectiva es la vacuna?

10:53

¿Qué tan efectiva es la vacuna? ¿Evitará que me contagie de Covid?

¿Qué tan efectiva/eficaz es la vacuna?
¿Cómo de efectiva/eficaz es la vacuna?
¿Qué efectividad/eficacia tiene la vacuna?
How effective is the vaccine?

Evitará que > subjuntivo
Evitará que me contagie 

We cover the answer to this question in the premium lesson: Covid Vaccine Effectiveness in Spanish – Premium

References

  • CDC: Vacunas contra el Covid-19
  • Salud Lupa: Cinco respuestas a algunos temores sobre las nuevas vacunas
  • Instagram: 8 Frequently asked questions about vaccines: Answered

The following is a great series of YouTube videos by drvellermd.com explaining the pathophysiology and trial results of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.  They have videos covering a lot more on Covid, including the other vaccines.

  • Vacunas Covid 19 de Dr. Veller

Related Lessons

  • FL04 Flu Q and A – Flu Vaccine – Who, Why, and When (premium) 
  • FL05 Flu Q and A – Flu Vaccine – How It Works and Side Effects (premium)
  • Spanish for COVID-19
  • Quiz #2 – The Subjunctive in Noun Clauses
  • Subj05 Influence Emotion and Judgments (premium)
  • Subj06 Disbelief Denial – Uncertainty (premium)
  • Quiz # 4 – The Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses
  • Subj10 Subjunctive Required
  • Subj11 Subjunctive Required

Special thanks to Elizabeth Cortéz, my Spanish teacher at the San Pedro Spanish School in Guatemala who provided most of the Spanish for this lesson. And special thanks to my friend, Sonja Um-Siri, who asked the questions in this lesson. Sonja also reviews almost every lesson I publish. I could not do this without her. ❤️

The lessons offered at docmolly.com are a fun way to practice medical Spanish. They are not intended to teach medicine or provide medical advice. These lessons are intended to improve communication with Spanish-speaking patients, but they are not intended to substitute for a qualified medical interpreter.


Quiz

Please log in to take the quiz for this lesson. 
Not a member?  Take the quiz covering the latest free lesson and get a discount on your membership. 


Podcast: Download

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy Grainer says

    March 4, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    I’m have trouble getting to the quiz for New Variants… I’ve logged in several times

    Reply
    • Doc Molly says

      March 4, 2021 at 7:32 pm

      Hello Nancy,

      When you are logged in it shows up at the bottom of this page (right above these comments).

      To quickly get to the quiz for a lesson, just click on the Quiz link in the Navigation Box above.

      And here’s a direct link to the quiz: https://docmolly.com/covid-vaccine-variants-spanish/#t-1606595029882.

      Molly

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Doc Molly

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2022 · Doc Molly On Genesis Framework · WordPress

Manage Cookie Consent

¡Hola! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience at docmolly.com.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}