While vaccines against the coronavirus protect, in particular against severe forms of Covid-19, we also know that they do not always prevent being recontaminated by SARS-CoV-2. But do people who are vaccinated and recontaminated produce new antibodies?
Concretely, vaccines allow the immune system to respond to viruses and defend against them. This is also the case if we fall ill with Covid-19 again.
After a complete vaccination schedule, “normally, we developed antibodies, explained to CNEWS, Béhazine Combadière, research director at Inserm. “However, it was not in sufficient quantity if we are recontaminated,” added the scientist.
In this context, still according to the explanations of the specialist who is also a member of the Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases of Sorbonne University, in the event of recontamination, “the immune system, which has already seen the virus, therefore knows what immune response. He must bring. “The immune system has kept the vaccine memory and, therefore, it will just multiply, that is to say recreate, the cells which recognized the antigen (the substance allowing to generate the antibodies, Editor’s note) which will overcome (the virus) ”.
“It’s as if we were doing a 2e vaccination”
According to Béhazine Combadière, a new contamination “means that there was not enough” antigens. The immune system will therefore produce more cells to make antibodies. “It’s as if we were doing a 2e vaccination, ”she said.
However, a new contamination by Covid-19 is not due to a lack of efficacy of the vaccine, the impact on the patient of which may depend on “his state of health, his weight, other diseases under -jacent, the genetic factor …, detailed the director of Inserm. There are plenty of factors that are responsible for the heterogeneity of individual responses ”.
Thus, some people can produce a lot of antibodies and others less. But, after vaccination, there is no “non-responding” immune system, the scientist said. Ultimately, “it’s like different diseases, some people will respond strongly (to the vaccine) and others less,” she concluded.
