Chicago(WGN) — We talk a lot about antibodies after COVID-19 infection and when it comes to vaccination, but there is another important immune response that plays a role in COVID protection, which lasts long after the antibody has diminished and gives the vaccine its power. May expand.
Since the early days of the pandemic, anthropologist Dr. Thomas McDade and his collaborators have used Chicago as a field study in search of antibodies in samples sent to Northwestern University’s lab.
“By the fall of 2020, we found that about 20% of people were infected with (COVID),” said McDade.
It was the earliest discovery from blood stains. Cases of COVID ranged from mild to severe. And now, most study participants are vaccinated, providing an important opportunity for researchers to measure the effectiveness of shots.
“I have a pre-vaccination sample. I took the sample after the first dose of the vaccine and after the second dose,” he said.
In all groups, antibodies were reduced by 20% when measured again by the team two months after the second dose. This is the normal process found in other types of vaccination.
“It is normal to produce many antibodies after a vaccine or natural infection,” McDade said. “It is normal for these antibodies to decline over time.”
But thankfully, human immunity is more than an antibody. It has a built-in backup system that remembers the virus even after the first line of defense weakens. This is called cell-mediated immunity and relies on what are called T cells and B cells. These cells help fight other viruses and even cancer.
“When they see it or something similar again, they will supercharge the production of new antibodies and new cells that fight the virus very quickly and very effectively,” McDade said.
People who previously had a mild or asymptomatic infection did not respond strongly to the first dose of the vaccine. This is probably because the viral load decreased during natural infection. That is, there are not enough viruses to imprint memory on the immune system.
“They produced a neutralization reaction that was about 50% of where we wanted. The same is true for people who have never been exposed to the virus. To fully protect everyone, vaccines Had to be vaccinated twice, “said McDade. Many people who have previously been infected with COVID now believe that they are immune and do not need to be vaccinated. … According to our study, if you were previously infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, you may not have high levels of innate immunity. “
In contrast, people with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 who are likely to have high levels of the virus in their body during the disease “reacted very strongly to the first dose of the vaccine.” Mr McDade said.
So do you need a booster? In the case of immunodeficiency, McDade says so. For otherwise healthy individuals, McDade said the more people were given the first dose, the better.
“For the general public, for most people, it’s actually better for everyone to get the first dose of the vaccine than to get one-third of the first two doses. I think, “he said.
Even when delta mutants are in circulation, McDade’s studies show that vaccines withstand protection from severe infections and hospitalization.
Your body’s backup immune system remembers the COVID virus, studies show | WGN Radio 720
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