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As I see the news from the UK about serious allergic reaction to the COVID vaccine is making the rounds, now seems like a great time to clear up some common misconceptions and untruths. So let's gooooo.... 1/
Traditional vaccines work by taking either live attenuated (modified version of the real virus) or dead viral particles and injecting them into your body. This causes both a *local* immune reaction by part of your immune system, and triggers a cascade by another... 2/
...part of your immune system that eventually results in both antibody formation and, most key, memory of those antibodies within the immune system. Why is that important? It's all because of the way the immune system actually works at a basic level. 3/
You have a whole collection of different types of immune cells, and they all word at different stages of exposure to a foreign substance that *might* be capable of making you sick. The antibody-mediated response is the most effective, BUT it takes time for it to get going. 4/
And by time, I mean 7-14 days to get a decent antibody-mediated response happening. This is why, when you are exposed to a new virus, you get sick. Many symptoms are a function of the immune system's early response doing its job. 5/
Symptoms start to clear when the antibody-mediated response really ramps up and viral production is exceeded by the immune response to it. Your body eventually clears the disease and keeps a memory of those antibodies on hand. If your system "sees" it again, the response... 6/
... is MUCH faster, and you likely won't even show symptoms. This is not true for all pathogens. Some, like TB, HIV, herpes, etc can evade effective long-term immune response through mutagenicity or various strategies to hide from antibody exposure. 7/
This is why vaccines for these illnesses can be troublesome, or not necessarily as effective as others. BUT! Vaccination can still make it less likely you even get sick, because if you get an early antibody response the virus can't get a good foothold and you can clear it. 8/
So what does all this have to do with the COVID mRNA vaccines and reactions? Well, everything. First off, the mRNA vaccine CANNOT give you SARS-Cov-2. It encodes a protein fragment, not a whole virus. It cannot make you sick as in sick-from-a-viral-infection. BUT! 9/
Remember that "early" immune response I mentioned? That's things like local swelling, redness, fever, etc. The common short-term side-effects of many vaccines. Those aren't the vaccine making you ill. Those ARE your immune reaction kicking off a defensive response. 10/
By all accounts, the mRNA vaccines are EXTREMELY effective at provoking immune response (and safe!). But as a result, that is *likely* to provoke an immediate response as well. Those initial symptoms are your immune system going "holy crap, got something new here, GET IT!" 11/
And they'll pass pretty quick as your system transitions to an antibody-mediated response. Antibody-mediated responses require a solid dose of an antigen, which is the reason vaccines sometimes get multiple doses. mRNA has a really short half-life, so 2X doses needed. 12/
"We're 13 tweets in and no allergy mentioned, WTF Ryan." Getting there, okay? So first off, what is an allergy? Well, let's start with what it's not: It's not "I don't like this thing or feel great after my body is exposed to it." NOPE. 13/
An allergy is an immune reaction gone awry - when your body is exposed to something benign and then decides to mount a heavy immune response because it thinks its something bad for you (this is also why many allergies start early in life and fade over time). Key point... 14/
...AN ALLERGY IS AN IMMUNE RESPONSE.
Let me repeat that: AN ALLERGY IS AN IMMUNE RESPONSE. It occurs in reaction to an antigen that your immune system thinks is a hostile foreign infectious agent.
This is really important! 15/
Let me repeat that: AN ALLERGY IS AN IMMUNE RESPONSE. It occurs in reaction to an antigen that your immune system thinks is a hostile foreign infectious agent.
This is really important! 15/
Anaphylaxis is an EXTREME allergic reaction where the body mounts an immune response so serious it can actually kill you. Namely, you get swelling in all the wrong places - your respiratory system! Thankfully, epinephrine (EpiPens) reverse that quickly. 16/
Okay, so to recap: Vaccines provoke a short and long term immune response. The short term produces symptoms. The long term protects you from the disease. An mRNA vaccine won't make you sick, but provokes both responses strongly. An allergy is a short-term immune response. 17/
Allergies can be severe and you can seen anaphylaxis in response to an allergen as part of a short term immune response. So why do we sometimes see severe short-term reactions to vaccines? I bet you know where this is going now... 18/
...because vaccines and allergies both can provoke severe short-term immune responses in some patients! In other words, your immune system reacts SO STRONGLY to the presence of the vaccine that it makes you feel really sick - for a short period of time. 19/
In a small percentage of people, that short term response can cause anaphylaxis which can be life threatening. Now, depending on time after exposure, it may not be the mRNA's translation that actually cause that kind of extreme immune response. It could be another part... 20/
...of the vaccine. This is why Britain and Pfizer-BioNTech will be investigating these cases closely to get a better idea of who is most at risk of a severe response and be able to properly protected them when the vaccine is administered. 21/
To wrap up: the mRNA vaccines for SARS-Cov-2 are incredibly safe. A small number of severe immune reactions ARE expected. Health authorities will take every precaution to identify and mitigate those as distribution rolls out. The vaccine cannot make you sick with a virus. 22/
The vaccine certainly cannot give you autism, make you subservient to government, track your movements, control your mind, implant a chip in you, or do any of the other crazy things anti-vax conspiracy theorists tell you. This is likely literally the safest vaccine ever made. 23/
So please. Listen to scientists. Read peer-reviewed research. Follow public health guidance. Consult with your doctor or reputable medical professionals if you have specific conditions or previous history of reactions to vaccines. And after all that - Get vaccinated. 24/
-This thread composed with information and love by a father of two, grandson of one, son of two, and husband to a frontline RN. And who happens to have a degree in molecular genetics and desire to use it for good.
Stay safe everyone - the end of this pandemic is in sight. 25/25
Stay safe everyone - the end of this pandemic is in sight. 25/25
26?!?!/25
Did you make it all the way down here! Woohoo! I literally never do this, but I'd appreciate RTs on the thread from its readers because collectively we need to amplify science and drown out quackery. I promise I won't make a habit of asking!
Did you make it all the way down here! Woohoo! I literally never do this, but I'd appreciate RTs on the thread from its readers because collectively we need to amplify science and drown out quackery. I promise I won't make a habit of asking!
27/25 (Okay, I know, shhh) - Several people have asked for an easy to read version; while quite a number of people have run the thread reader unroll app on this thread, here's a link to one of the recent ones for ease of reading and emailing: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1336723991533252608.html
28/25 (Whatever, fight me, this is important!)
Full trial results for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine now published. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577
Full trial results for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine now published. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577
Health Canada now has the full ingredients list and cautions related to reactions for the Pfizer vaccine posted: https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2020/74543a-eng.php
To summarize: reactions unlikely, vaccine is safe, current precautionary measures in place to minimize adverse reactions. #COVID19
To summarize: reactions unlikely, vaccine is safe, current precautionary measures in place to minimize adverse reactions. #COVID19
