How COVID-19 Immunity Works at This Point in the Pandemic

When SARS-CoV-2 was a brand-new virus, it met little resistance in immune-naïve hosts—that is, us. Vaccines, boosters, and infections have increased our immunity to varying degrees. But how much protection do each of these provide at this point in the pandemic? Here’s what researchers are learning about how the human body reacts to COVID-19 and its vaccines and boosters. Vaccines generate more antibodies than infections When the immune system meets a new intruder like SARS-CoV-2, its first response is to churn out sticky antibody proteins that attach to the virus and block it from binding to and infecting cells. Viruses can’t reproduce on their own and need to co-opt other cells to make more copies of themselves—so the fewer viruses that can infect cells, the fewer viruses that can circulate in a person’s body and make that person sick. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Immunization is the most effective way to launch this antibody production against SARS-CoV-2. Getting infected with the virus itself also triggers the process, but to a lesser extent. Studies show that levels of antibodies against the COVID-19 virus are higher among people who are vaccinated than among those who are unvaccinated and get infected. However those antibodies are produced, they tend to wane after a few months. Still, that doesn’t mean the immune system has checked out of the fight. Antibodies keep evolving Just as SARS-CoV-2 evolves and mutates to...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news