Thread by @Rumindahg

#Immunity & #Vaccines
Will try to explain with #GIF's

What is Immunity?
Your Immune system will attack anything unfamiliar. This could be bacteria, virus, fungus or anything it identifies as foreign

When #coronavirus AKA #thevirus infects, our body attacks in two stages

The #firststage is the general response. This is common to any foreign body entering us. Various chemicals are secreted to not only destroy the #thevirus but also to initiate the second stage.

This #firststage is called #Innateimmunity

The #secondstage needs some time to build, as its specific to that particular #thevirus. It takes time because the body needs to figure out which part of the #thevirus to attack & what's needed to attack it. This takes around 6-8 days.

This 2nd stage is #Adaptiveimmunity

But even after the attack is over with #thevirus dead, #Adaptiveimmunity continues
Memory cells in our #immunesystem makes sure to remember #thevirus. By doing this, the next time #thevirus invades; our body reacts better, attacks better & kills off #thevirus more easily

How do Vaccines work?

Basically we need this #Adaptiveimmunity without being actually exposed to #thevirus. This then should give us enough firepower to attack #thevirus as early as possible.

Scientists found out that a part of #thevirus was enough to initiate this action

That part is a protein found on the outside of #thevirus. This protein is what drives the virus into your cells. This is basically what makes #thevirus infectious.
Without this protein #thevirus is nothing, zero, nil.

This is the infamous #spikeprotein

With the target identified, scientists figured out the genetic blueprint for the #spikeprotein.

Shout out to Dr. Barney Graham & Dr Jason McLellan. Their story itself is incredible
If you have the time read it

So,

We dont want the virus
We need an immune memory to beat off the virus before it becomes bad
We can get that by injecting our body with an important part (but not the whole part) of #thevirus
We know that's the #spikeprotein
We know the genetic blue print of the #spikeprotein

Scientists then took the genetic blue print of the #spikeprotein & made the mRNA version of it.

Basically mRNA (messenger RNA) is the instructions for the creation of #spikeprotein

Like a cookie cutter for the #spikeprotein

This is basically the vaccine
#pfizer #Moderna

By injecting this mRNA/cookie cutter/list of instructions AKA vaccine into your body, your own cells react by creating the #spikeprotein.

Point to note here is that no virus was injected or no virus was created, just the #spikeprotein.

Again no infection, just #spikeproteins

When your normal body cells are making #spikeproteins, your immune system suddenly sees this & quickly starts attacking it as it is a foreign body.

It goes through the stages of the immune response but after a few days it destroys all the #spikeproteins

But......

But..
your immune memory cells will remember the #spikeprotein & the best way to attack it.

Now in your body, after the vaccine you have

-no virus
-no #spikeprotein
-no mRNA/cookie cutter

You only have a bunch of memory cells who know how to attack & destroy the #spikeprotein

So now if you actually get infected with #thevirus ,
Your immune memory cells recognize the #spikeprotein quickly, organize the attack & destroys the protein & the virus before it can cause any harm.

Done. The immune system wins.
We can now get back to pre 2020.

This mode of action only applies to mRNA vaccines #pfizer & #Moderna.

If you have actually read & reached the end of this thread, the feedback is good, I will try to explain the @AstraZeneca one as well.

If there is anything confusing or wrong please let me know.