COVID-19 Variants: Here’s How the Vaccines Still Protect You

It seems like there is more bad news about variants of the coronavirus every day.

There are headlines claiming the variants are becoming more deadly, and stories warning that some variants could escape the vaccines, sending us into an endless pandemic. With every step forward – as millions of Americans are vaccinated daily – it feels like the variants are sending us two steps back.

A growing number of infectious disease experts now say the variant story has gotten out of hand. Yes, there are several variants in circulation, and it is true that some appear to be too more transferableYes, we must continue to wear masks and protect ourselves and others until we get closer to the immunity of the herd. But there is no definitive proof that any of the variants are more virulent, and there is currently no reason to believe the variants will render our vaccines completely useless, infectious disease experts say.

Our immune system is extremely complex, and even if some parts of the immune system don’t respond as vigorously to the variants after vaccination, it won’t give up on us that easily.

Much of the research on immunity to COVID-19 (which can be achieved through vaccination or natural infection) has looked at antibodies. These little fighters go after the coronavirus and keep it from binding to cells in our body and causing infection. Some laboratory studies have found that antibodies don’t do as well as fighting variants, raising concerns that the vaccines may not be able to protect us.

But antibodies don’t tell the full story. When people say antibody levels are falling – and therefore protection against COVID-19 goes away – “this is completely wrong,” said Jay Levy, a virologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

The immune system is very complex, and besides antibodies, there is a whole other aspect, known as the cell-mediated immune response, that is just as important, if not more so. This component helps make so-called T cells, which are crucial to prevent infections. The COVID-19 vaccines don’t just produce antibodies; they also turn on your immune system to produce T cells.

“T cells are the main line of defense against the virus,” he said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist with UCSF. T cells can identify many different parts of the coronavirus (some studies say to 52 divide) and remove any cells carrying the virus. The cell-mediated immune response can also aid our systems produce new antibodies If necessary. Mutations or not, T cells can still detect the virus and take action. “Your immune response is very complex, very robust, and very broad against multiple parts of the virus,” Gandhi said.

So why aren’t we all talking about how great T cells are? They are really difficult to measure, Gandhi said, while measuring antibodies requires a simple blood test. But researchers to have looked at the cell-mediated immune response in people who were either vaccinated or had COVID-19, and the findings are exciting.

For starters, all clinical trials with vaccines showed that participants produced strong T-cell responses after vaccination, Gandhi said. There is also proof that the variants are unlikely to have a very meaningful effect on the immunity we get from being fully vaccinatedTwo recent studies found that the T cell response was not affected by variants and another paper found that although some antibodies to variants decreased, our T cell response held up fine.

When it comes to COVID-19, a robust T cell response is the difference between a mild infection and a serious disease, research shows. The cells cannot always prevent infection, but they may be able to clear it quickly so that you do not become seriously ill. If you’re getting vaccinated, “don’t worry about getting infected – or if you do [get infected]”That you’re going to have a serious illness,” said Levy.

It looks like even if antibody levels decline over time, T cells will likely protect us from variants for a while, especially when it comes to serious illnesses, Gandhi said.

The coronavirus would have to change quite drastically to completely escape recognition by the cellular immune response and render our vaccines useless. “The cellular immune response appears to be a little bit more diverse, or a little bit more inclusive, so that it can pick up and still process tiny, tiny changes that a variant might have,” Levy said.

The cell-mediated immune response can also have a long-lasting memory. Researchers evaluated the blood of people who had the SARS coronavirus in 2003 and found that their T cell immunity was up to 17 yearsThe T cell response has similarly ceased in people vaccinated against measles 34 years and more.

COVID-19 is a little over a year old, but early proof suggests that our T cells last, although it’s unclear exactly how long. Some experts say we end up needing booster shots, and scientists are already working on that. But given the durability of our cellular immunity, many infectious disease experts think of boosters, at least in the near future, will not be necessary

Researchers will continue to study how components of the immune system – antibodies, T cells, and everything in between – interact with the coronavirus over time, but we know that the immune system is robust and durable when it comes to fighting viruses.

So if you’re vaccinated, you’ll read chilling next time cup about a variant, take a deep breath and think of the T cells. “Know that the T cells are working against the variants and you will be fine,” Gandhi said.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available at the time of publication, but the guidelines may change as scientists discover more about the virus. Consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most recent recommendations.