Understanding mRNA vaccine for COVID
You have it wrong. Coronaviruses are part of a family of viruses that are called &quot;enveloped viruses&quot;. These all have an &quot;envelope&quot; comprised of a lipid layer derived from the host cell as the virion exits. The envelope is distinct from the spike. The spike protein is produced by the virus during replication and is not found naturally in a host cell.
This does not pretend to be &quot;food&quot; at all, but it can help evade host immune responses by hiding the other virion capsid proteins.