Antibodies may curb pandemic before vaccines

science.sciencemag.org

4 pointsdrocer882 comments

That would be amazing and terrible all at once: the pandemic could be over sooner, but more people will unnecessarily die before that happens. Although I’m curious as to how permanent the antibodies would be, as I’ve seen that they don’t last long, and even when getting the vaccine, it appears that they’ll have to give it to you multiple times, to maintain its efficacy... so even if antibodies help to stop the pandemic, are they the best, longest-lasting solution?

To be fair, children have to get combined booster tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and polio shots and combined booster measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shots for exactly the same reason.

The same holds true for the Twinrix hepatitis A and B vaccine. The first shot gives you partial immunity (measurable but not very effective), and the booster brings it up to a more statistically significant risk level and permanence, which is why two shots are needed a week apart before travelling to certain countries.

A lot of vaccines need boosters.

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