Why are mRNA vaccines so successful in preventing the serious form of Covid-19 but not so great at protecting against breakthrough infections? Two professors of pathology, microbiology and immunology weigh in.
With yet another Covid-19 booster available for vulnerable populations in the U.S., many people find themselves wondering what the end game will be.
However, it has become increasingly clear that the second booster does not provide long-lasting protection against breakthrough infections. As a result, it will be necessary to retool the existing vaccines to increase the duration of protection in order to help bring the pandemic to an end. Understanding how our immune system works during the mild versus severe forms of Covid-19 is also important to the process of developing more targeted vaccines.
Why booster shots? The B cells and T cells are unique in that after they mount an initial immune response, they get converted into memory cells. Unlike antibodies, memory cells can stay in a person’s body for several decades and can mount a rapid response when they encounter the same infectious agent. It is because of such memory cells that some vaccines against diseases such as smallpox provide protection for decades.
That diminished protection even after the third dose is what led the CDC to endorse the fourth shot of Covid-19 vaccine – called the second booster – for people who are immunocompromised and those aged 50 and older.
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