COVID Vaccine question

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

First of all thank you for the awesome episode on the vaccine. I was however left with a question. Does the immune response from the vaccine differ in any way from the immune response generated by getting the virus? Reason I ask is I keep reading about various ailments such as brain inflammation, autoimmune issues, etc. that seem to be triggered by the body from this immune response. Is this more so the fault of the infection and result of the actual virus? If so I’m guessing because the vaccine does not actually contain the virus, that a lot of these ailments we’re seeing won’t be triggered? I guess my question is are these triggered by the immune response, and if so, does that mean the same risks apply with getting the vaccine.

Thanks!

2

Yes, the immune response from the vaccine differs from the response to the virus. The vaccine is aimed solely at producing antibodies against a specific viral protein. The actual viral infection generates a much broader array of immune activity (some of which can result in significant immune dysregulation).

We did touch on this a bit in the podcast, but the details of the immunology and pathophysiology are extremely complex.

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