COVID-19: Clarify your doubts about vaccines! (Part 3)

COVID-19: Clarify your doubts about vaccines! (Part 3)

5 August 2021

This article is the third and final part of a series of articles designed to answer questions that may exist regarding COVID-19 vaccines. If you want, you can read Part 1 and Part 2 as well.

In this last part, I will answer questions about what happens after vaccination.

What happens after vaccine inoculation?

After injecting the vaccine directly into the intramuscular tissue, it comes into contact with numerous cells, such as muscle cells and dendritic cells. The latter are quite important in recognizing strange agents. It is their acumen that leads to their rapid interaction with the particles present in the vaccine. As such, both mRNA vaccines and adenovirus vaccines stimulate the production of chemical signals (interferon I, cytokines, chemokines) that will recruit immune system cells (natural killer, neutrophils, and macrophages) to the injection site. And it is precisely this activation of our immune response that leads to a sore arm sensation after vaccination. Thus, dendritic cells are primarily responsible for “carrying” the spike protein, taking it to the lymph node in the armpit closest to the injection site. It is this lymph node that starts the process of teaching our immune system to respond to the presence of a pathogen. Then what happens is a dispersion through a vast network of lymph nodes that are located throughout the body.

What happens to someone who is infected with SARS-CoV-2 after having the vaccine?

It is considered that an individual is fully vaccinated 14 days after having the complete vaccination schedule since it is expected that at that time the organism has been able to increase the production of plasma B cells (antibody-secreting), effector T cells, and memory T and B cells, which allow a quick and targeted response to an eventual infection by SARS-CoV-2. After the second dose, however, our immune system cells return to normal, but there is a big difference: they are now ready to recognize the enemy, so cytotoxic T cells and antibodies that have been generated circulate throughout the body, following the administration of the vaccine. So if someone vaccinated with an mRNA or adenovirus vaccine encounters SARS-CoV-2, their cells will actually be infected with the virus. However, the immune system will now have the ability to quickly recognize the spike protein, allowing an immediate response from cytotoxic T cells that will quickly destroy the infected cells, and promote rapid differentiation of memory T and B cells, reducing the probability of triggering a serious illness.

What side effects may be associated with taking these vaccines?

Like any other medication, there are adverse reactions that can occur. In the case of these vaccines, side effects such as headache, muscle and joint pain, fever, pain at the injection site, tiredness, nausea, and general malaise have been reported. However, although rarer, there may also be changes in vision, red spots or spots on the skin, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, or persistent abdominal pain. If you manifest these or other symptoms, it is important that you notify them to INFARMED (or other Health regulatory entity, depending on the country you're on), in order to actively contribute to the pharmacovigilance process of these new drugs.

What can I do to strengthen the Immune System?

Having a strong immune system goes halfway so that the COVID-19 vaccine can have the necessary conditions to play its role. According to several studies that have been published in this area, supplementation with quercetin, zinc, and astaxanthin can be an asset to boost our immune response and also to eliminate the viral debris that remains, indefinitely, in our body after infection, giving rise to problems such as tiredness and fatigue, for example. It is, therefore, extremely important that our diet includes foods with antioxidant properties and that, if possible, we carry out supplementation in order to reduce the daily oxidative stress that we produce and to which we expose our cells.

 

Though long, I hope this article has answered some of the questions that trouble you. We are today, closer to the end. Today, we have more hope for the future. It is essential that our decisions are considered, based on scientific evidence and reliable information. It is time to value the efforts that we have all made so that it is possible to return, safely, to our “normality”.

Let's not lower our arms now! If in doubt, consult your healthcare professional. Be a public health agent and always remember that only together can we fight this pandemic.

We are here, every day, by and for you!

See you soon!

 

Dr. Andreia Moreira

 

     

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