Thread by @gerdosi

Let me strip the unnecessary narrative out of this otherwise nice study/abstract to get a clear picture. Short thread 🧵

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain antibody evolution after mRNA vaccination
nature.com/articles/s4158…

How infection elicits broad protection
“SARS-CoV-2 infection produces B cell responses that continue to evolve for at least one year. During that time, memory B cells express increasingly broad and potent antibodies that are resistant to mutations found in variants of concern”

Following vaccination
“Between prime and boost, memory B cells produce antibodies that evolve increased neutralizing activity, but there is no further increase in potency or breadth thereafter.”
= the booster is too close to the priming dose and prevents affinity maturation.

“Instead, memory B cells that emerge 5 months after vaccination of naive individuals express antibodies that are similar to those that dominate the initial response.”
= original antigenic sin (OAS) kicks in, partly due to the prevented affinity maturation above.

“While individual memory antibodies selected over time by natural infection have greater potency and breadth than antibodies elicited by vaccination, the overall neutralizing potency of plasma is greater following vaccination”
=for a short period of time, quantity matches quality

“These results suggest that boosting vaccinated individuals with currently available mRNA vaccines will increase plasma neutralizing activity but may not produce antibodies with equivalent breadth to… convalescent individuals”
=in the future, you’re doomed to…

…poor quality immune responses, but your vaccine suppliers are happy to provide 2-3 boosters a year in an attempt to compensate quality with quantity.
TL;DR
Current vaccines are mediocre attempts, and beyond their stupid basic concept of injecting behind the mucosal barrier…,

…the regimen was also screwed up in a way that too big initial dose and a booster second dose administered way too early prevents proper maturation of immune responses. Although there’s no proper quality long term, you’re made to believe that quantity can overcome the problem.