Quote (El1te @ Oct 21 2022 06:20pm)
Vaccines for flu-like viruses (e.g. covid-19) are useful for reducing or mitigating symptoms if taken before contracting the virus
Vaccines are not useful for reducing or mitigating symptoms if taken after contracting the virus
Vaccines pose a risk of mild illness after administration, and pose a rare risk of other health complications in different people
Verdict: It is generally a good idea for the average person to obtain a vaccine before contracting a virus, but since there is no benefit but only a risk of other problems to obtain a vaccine after already having recovered from the illness, it should NEVER be taken in that circumstance.
You are incorrect that there is no benefit for taking the vaccine after exposure.
Lots of viruses have reinfection risk. Viruses are very good at evading the immune system, so multiple exposures helps your immune system recognize the virus. In fact your immune system has a built-in feature where your first exposure mostly results in the production of IgGs antibodies, which aren't as effective as the later IgM antibodies which come much later and come faster from multiple exposures. Multiple exposures also decreases the antibody response time and allows your antibodies to get better at recognizing the virus through selection.
So after multiple exposures your body
1. Makes more IgM antibodies, which are more effective than IgG antibodies
2. Keeps more antibodies at baseline, which prevents reinfection
3. Selects for antibodies that bind better to the infective agent.
This post was edited by NetflixAdaptationWidow on Oct 24 2022 09:26am