COVID-19 variants: Here’s how vaccines continue to protect you

It seems that every day there is more bad news about coronavirus variants.

There are headlines that claim that the variants are becoming more deadly, and stories that warn that some variants could get rid of vaccines, throwing us into an endless pandemic. With every step forward – like the way millions of Americans are vaccinated every day – it feels like the variants are sending us two steps back.

A growing number of experts in infectious diseases say now the narrative variant got out of control. Yes, there are several variants circulating and it is true that some seem to be more transmissible. Yes, we must continue to wear masks and protect ourselves and others until we get close to the herd’s immunity. But there is no clear evidence that any of the variants are more virulent, and currently there is no reason to believe that the variants will make our vaccines completely useless, say experts in infectious diseases.

Our immune system is extremely complex and even if some parts of the immune system do not respond as robustly to the variants after vaccination, it will not give up on us so easily.

Much of the research on immunity to COVID-19 (which can be done with either vaccination or natural infection) has focused on antibodies. These little fighters go after the coronavirus and prevent it from binding to the cells in our body and creating an infection. some laboratory studies they found that antibodies don’t do as well in a fight variant, which made them fear that vaccines might not be able to keep us safe.

But antibodies don’t tell the whole story. When people say that the level of antibodies drops – and therefore the protection against COVID-19 disappears – “this is totally wrong,” he said. Jay Levy, virologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

The immune system is very complex and, in addition to antibodies, there is another completely different aspect, known as the cell-mediated immune response, just as important, if not more so. This part helps to create something called T cells, which are crucial for preventing infections. COVID-19 vaccines do not only generate antibodies; it also causes your immune system to produce T cells.

“T cells are the main line of defense against the virus,” he said Monica Gandhi, specialist in infectious diseases with UCSF. T cells can identify many different parts of the coronavirus (some studies say up to 52 parts) and get rid of the cells that carry the virus. Cell-mediated immune response can also help our systems produce new antibodies if necessary. Mutated or not, T cells will still be able to detect the virus and take action. “Your immune response is very complex, very robust and very broad against many parts of the virus,” Gandhi said.

So why don’t we all talk about how wonderful T cells are? They are very difficult to measure, Gandhi said, while measuring antibodies involves a simple blood test. But researchers have analyzed the cell-mediated immune response in individuals who were either vaccinated or had COVID-19, and the findings are interesting.

First, all clinical trials of the vaccine found that participants produced strong T cell responses after vaccination, according to Gandhi. There is also evidence that the variants will probably not have a very significant effect on the immunity we receive from being completely vaccinated. Two recent studied found that the T cell response was unaffected by variants, and another The paper found that while some antibodies decreased against the variants, our T cell response remained very good.

When it comes to COVID-19, a robust T cell response is the difference between a mild infection and a serious illness, research shows. Cells may not always prevent an infection, but they may be able to eliminate it quickly so that you do not get seriously ill. If you get vaccinated, “you don’t have to worry about infection – or if you do [get infected], that you will have a serious illness “, said Levy.

As it turns out, even if antibody levels drop over time, T cells will likely keep us protected against variants for a while, especially when it comes to severe disease, according to Gandhi.

Coronavirus should change dramatically enough to completely escape recognition from the cellular immune response and make our vaccines useless. “The cellular immune response seems to be a little more diverse, or a little more inclusive, so it can pick up small, small changes that a variant might have and still have to deal with,” Levy said.

The cell-mediated immune response may also have a long memory. The researchers evaluated the blood of people who had SARS coronavirus in 2003 and found that their T cell immunity persisted until 17 years. The T cell response was similarly maintained in people for whom they were vaccinated against measles 34 years old and counting.

COVID-19 is a little over a year old, but early evidence suggests that our T cells will last, although it is not clear how long. Some experts say we may need booster photos eventually, and scientists are already working on them. But given SUSTAINABILITY about our cellular immunity, many infectious disease experts believe it stimulates, at least in the near future, it will be useless.

Researchers will continue to study how the components of the immune system – antibodies, T cells and anything else – deal with the coronavirus over time, but we know that the immune system is robust and durable when it comes to fighting viruses.

So if you are vaccinated, the next time you read a thrill title about a variant, breathe in and think about the T cells. “Know that T cells work against variants and you’re fine,” Gandhi said.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is known or available from the date of publication, but the guidelines may change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most up-to-date recommendations.