Read on Twitter
1/11 Hello Twitter friends, I’ve decided to do a little thing just talking about the phrase ‘the coronavirus vaccine doesn’t even stop you getting the virus’. I think it’s really important to explain this statement which is annoyingly vague in its definition. This current growing
2/11 anti-vaccination trend is really worrying and disheartening, especially as an infection biologist so chose to do this little PSA to explain what this actually means. I think this is crucial so as to gain a better understanding before choosing whether or not to receive this
3/11 vaccine. So strictly speaking, this statement is true, the coronavirus vaccine, and indeed, all vaccines, does not stop you from ‘getting’ a virus. Vaccines are not physical barriers and thus cannot stop a viral particle from passing into your body via airborne particles,
4/11 droplets, etc., so no, in extremely simple terms vaccines do not stop you ‘getting’ SARS-CoV-2, although there is a high chance (~95% in fact) that if you are vaccinated you won’t be infected by the virus and have disease symptoms. This is because, a vaccine works by
5/11 introducing your body to weakened/dead/chopped up parts of the virus and allowing your body to build up a specific immune response (neutralising antibody) to a non-harmful strain of a particular virus. This means that when it comes in contact with ‘the real thing’ it will be
6/11 able to generate antibodies quickly and efficiently due to memory immune cells in the body ‘remembering’ the instructions for this specific antibody that it first made after you were vaccinated with the ‘fake’ version. A vaccine is like a dress rehearsal for the main event.
7/11 It is actually thought that the severe SARS-2 symptoms are due to our body presenting an overwhelming immune response to wipe out the virus by numbers rather than force, rather than specificity as the virus is thought to evade the immune response and we probably can’t
8/11 actually make an efficient antibody to it via natural infection as a result. Being vaccinated means that rather than your body encountering SARS-2 and giving you horrendous symptoms for weeks or months before finally eradicating the virus by basically nuking it with
9/11 non-specific immune cells which won’t protect you against reinfection, you will still ‘get’ the virus inside of you, but there’s a 95% chance that the virus will be rapidly neutralised by specific antibodies meaning that it is unable to enter your cells and can thus be
10/11 destroyed by other immune cells in your blood, and not cause disease! Amazing! As just a kinda final remark I think it’s pretty important to say that only 2 viruses have been completely eradicated from earth by humans so far, and both have been as a result of widespread
11/11 vaccination programmes. So if you’re wanting to go to that concert or holiday you’ve booked for next year maybe think twice about being so certain about turning the vaccine down 
and that’s me done simping for viruses. Thank u x
and that’s me done simping for viruses. Thank u x
