THE GIFT OF THE JAB
Cameron Bissett, a Generation C scientist at Oxford University, gets to the point of how a small prick will help change your life
Not sure how the COVID vaccine works? Our primer gets straight to the point
01 PROTEIN SHAKE
Here’s some trivia to impress in your next Zoom pub quiz. When we’re injected with a vaccine, it exposes us to foreign viral material. Where old-school varieties contain weakened forms of the virus that present viral proteins to our immune system, newer ones – such as those for COVID-19 – use antigens as genetic code, instructing our bodies to make the proteins. Vaccines deliver these into our cells packaged in a different, harmless virus. The immune system can start responding in about 24 hours.
02 THE FIGHTBACK
The immune system then alerts the body to potential invaders and begins the process of trying to kill them off. This typically takes the form of inflammation at the injection site, and a strong response here will shift your immune system up a gear. Depending on the vaccine type, either cells deliver the weakened form of the virus to your white blood cells, or those that have processed genetic code will present pieces of viral protein on their surface to be detected by white blood cells.
03 SEARCH AND DESTROY
After a couple of days, some people may have a fever or feel fatigued – mild symptoms linked to inflammation. Others may experience no noticeable symptoms. Our bodies begin to develop fighter cells and produce antibodies. Some bind to antigens to “neutralise” the virus, while others signal for white cells called phagocytes to engulf and destroy it. T cells are also created, targeting the infected cells.
04 PREPARING FOR ACTION
This is the most important part, when the local reaction evolves into holistic protection. The development of a repertoire of immune cells that can detect and adequately respond to viral antigens is complex, and the process can take one to two weeks, sometimes longer. The upscaling of a subset of specialised cells to a “systemic”, large population is energetically demanding – so it’s worth booking in some duvet days.
05 LONG-TERM IMMUNITY
As the total-body response finishes, the specialised immune cells disappear – but a small population remains indefinitely to respond to future infections. Vaccine development is rigorous and involves thousands of human tests, ensuring safety and efficacy. When you’re no longer at risk of virus-related illness, your immunity helps to protect others around you. So, trust in the science and beat the pandemic, once and for all.