In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had swept us off our feet. The pandemic created havoc in our society. With the economy shutting down and patients crashing the ER, the situation was out of control. Even with country-wise lockdown, this state persisted for a year till the vaccine arrived.
What is a Vaccine?
To get to our main topic, we should know some information about vaccines. A vaccine is a prophylactic measure to protect us from disease. For example, we have vaccines against tuberculosis, measles, chickenpox, polio, etc.
Vaccines work in various ways. The goal is to increase our immunity by producing antibodies.
Antibodies: an Overview
Antibodies play a significant role in our body’s defence. An antibody or an immunoglobulin are giant proteins that engulf or neutralize the antigens entering our bodies.
Explanation
To understand it better, we must also comprehend antigens.
Antigens are the foreign materials in our bodies. For example, a bacteria enters and starts causing trouble. Our white blood cells will recognize it as an antigen.
After recognition, your body starts producing antibodies as a response. The antibodies are your friends, while the antigens are enemies.
Our antibodies go out on the battlefield and attach themselves to the antigens. We call it antigen-antibody interaction. In this way, our antibodies kill the antigens and protect us against many deadly diseases.
A prime example of this is blood grouping. Each of us has four types of blood groups. There are severe restrictions on transfusion because you must not mix blood group A with B.
An antigen-antibody reaction will occur, and your blood will start clumping. This process is called agglutination.
Covid-19 Vaccine
The Covid-19 vaccination process has started. There are many types of Covid-19 vaccines. Every country has worked hard to create a vaccine with maximum efficiency and minimum side effects.
We have incorporated different technologies to make this vaccine. Few of these technologies are,
- Live-attenuated virus
- Inactivated virus
- Non-replicating viral vector
- RNA-based vaccine
- DNA-based vaccine
- Replicating viral vectors, etc.
The aim is to trigger the production of antibodies. We can detect the antibodies against Covid-19 through the covid antibody test.
How Does the Covid-19 Vaccine Affect the Disease?
Being vaccinated does not mean that you won’t get the disease. You can still get Covid, but it won’t be as severe as without the vaccine.
A vaccine’s job is to produce antibodies beforehand. You can get a covid antibody test. It will prove the effectiveness of your vaccine.
Let’s suppose the covid virus enters the body of a vaccinated person. Before the virus can settle down, our WBCs will immediately recognize the antigens and send out antibodies.
These pre-made antibodies are smarter. They know their enemy, and they attack with precision.
The Results
The results of vaccination are less severe symptoms. For example, a vaccinated person will feel a minor fever and lesser intensity of flu and cough.
The vaccine can save us from the deadly complication of respiratory failure.
Conclusion
Education and awareness are mandatory. People believe many rumours about covid vaccination. In reality, vaccination is a lifesaver.