Much has been discussed about how booster vaccines can help their recipients, but widespread boosters may also provide benefits for everyone.
immunology
Science Corner: Shepherding our Immunity
Amidst all the talk about herd immunity, how to get there and whether we will, I wanted to explore what happens after we reach it.
Science Corner: Unlocking Immunity
As you read this, millions of people around the world are making antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. None of those people were born with a gene for those specific antibodies. Yet in just a couple of weeks following exposure to the virus–or now, one of its proteins via a vaccine–their immune systems can make antibodies that bind tightly and very specifically to the outside of the coronavirus, inhibiting its ability to infect their cells.