Thread by @sailorrooscout

“Breakthrough” infections DO NOT mean vaccines don’t work. Remember, they are preventives NOT cures. One can still contract COVID once vaccinated. As long as that vaccine is preventing you from facing severe disease and worse, it IS working and doing what it was designed to do.🧵

Regarding the concerns about waning immunity. Please remember, this is likely referring to infection. NOT effectiveness against symptomatic infection, NOT effectiveness against severe illness. While neutralizing antibodies decrease over time (as they ARE supposed to) protective

immunity provided by memory B-cells and T-cells is STILL present. Remember: Immunological memory consists of antibodies, memory B-cells, memory CD8+ T-cells, and memory CD4+ T-cells. These responses give us enduring protection even against newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

This study out of the NEJM shows EXACTLY this and hammers home the points I have made above. Antibodies always decline, AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BUT guess what happens? They’re replaced by new, optimal-matched antibodies that are better quality to variants so it takes

even fewer to protect you the next time around! Comparing the graphs here you can see neutralization doesn’t decline much- that my friends is thanks to immunological memory, and yes this IS 6+ months out. See nejm.org/doi/full/10.10… and another study here: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

So, what happens in the event of a “breakthrough” infection? A couple of things and some studies to take a look at. See: medrxiv.org/content/10.110… and: mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/6…. I also recommend reading: theatlantic.com/science/archiv… and listening to: .

Another peer-reviewed study to add to this to further support my point. This particular study out of The Lancet. PLEASE NOTE: Vaccine effectiveness in preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death remained high at more than 90% (93% to be exact) for AT LEAST (NOT ONLY) SIX

MONTHS (this is from the U.S. where three and four week intervals were used), even against the highly contagious Delta variant. So remember, when we speak of “waning,” keep in mind what that is referring to. See thelancet.com/journals/lance… and: thejournal.ie/vaccines-effec….

So, why the talk of boosters (for some, NOT all) and what exactly do they do? Think of it as topping off your gas tank, but with neutralizing antibodies! Take for example the three dose study for Pfizer’s vaccine. 10,000 participants. Median ~11 months from 2nd dose.

Randomized 1:1 Placebo and 30-µg booster dose. Result? A boost in nAbs and only 5 cases of COVID-19 in the booster group, and 109 cases in the non-boosted group. The observed relative vaccine efficacy was 95.6%! See: nejm.org/doi/full/10.10… and nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

The term infection refers to the virus entering and being detectable in your system regardless of whether OR NOT it makes you sick, whereas the term illness refers to the virus entering, being detectable in your system AND making you sick. It it important not to conflate the two.

The first thing to know about the COVID-19 vaccines is that they’re doing exactly what they were designed and authorized to do. Since the vaccines first started their rollout late last year, rates of COVID-19 disease have taken an unprecedented plunge among the immunized.

The second thing to know about the COVID-19 vaccines is that they’re flame retardants, not impenetrable firewalls, when it comes to the coronavirus. Some vaccinated people are still getting infected, and a small subset of these individuals is still getting sick and this is

completely expected. Read here: theatlantic.com/science/archiv…. When you are vaccinated, contracting COVID-19 isn’t the same as contracting COVID-19 when you’re unvaccinated. Thanks to vaccines, it is a shorter, gentler version. See: theatlantic.com/science/archiv… and: theatlantic.com/science/archiv…