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The last line of the article is the most important: "If the goal is to prevent infection, then boosting will need to be done after 6 to 18 months depending on

The last line of the article is the most important: "If the goal is to prevent infection, then boosting will need to be done after 6 to 18 months depending on the immune status of the individual. If the goal is to prevent serious disease boosting may not be necessary for years." This is a very important distinction. The media mostly gets this wrong, and CDC has been badly negligent in helping the public understand it. Vaccines are generally not expected to prevent infection. The only common vaccine that is known to prevent infection is HPV. All other vaccines allow some degree if infection, and thus some continued spread of the target pathogen. Vaccines are designed and tested to prevent serious disease due to infection. That's it. Likewise, these new vaccines are designed and tested to prevent the disease of covid, not infection by the virus called sars-cov2. The extent to which they do prevent infection, and the resulting effect on R0, is yet to be determined, but it is fully expected that the virus will continue to spread, even as hospitalizations and deaths eventually drop.

jjeaff 5y ago
To put a finer point on that, there is a difference between infection and disease. You are infected with the sars-cov-2 virus. Which can cause you to contract the disease (covid) if the viral infection gets out of hand. Getting vaccinated gives your body a headstart in fighting off the virus so that it doesn't become covid. Since you have to become infected before your antibodies go to work, it doesn't totally prevent infection. But it likely keeps the virus tamped down so much so that you are much less likely to spread it. If the virus never really gets to take off, you won't be spreading it to others.
- nate_meurer 5y ago
  > If the virus never really gets to take off, you won't be spreading it to others. That might be true for some virii, but unfortunately not for sars-cov2. It became clear early on that asymptomatic and low-symptom infected people can spread the virus. And there's evidence that vaccinated people-- who can still be infected, but are less likely to fall ill-- can spread it as well.
  - jjeaff 5y ago
    Asymptomatic means asymptomatic. It doesn't mean low viral load. Asymptomatic people just aren't reacting poorly to having the virus in their system. And there is evidence vaccinated people can spread it, there is also evidence indicating that you are 80% less likely to spread it.

jjeaff 5y ago

To put a finer point on that, there is a difference between infection and disease. You are infected with the sars-cov-2 virus. Which can cause you to contract the disease (covid) if the viral infection gets out of hand. Getting vaccinated gives your body a headstart in fighting off the virus so that it doesn't become covid. Since you have to become infected before your antibodies go to work, it doesn't totally prevent infection. But it likely keeps the virus tamped down so much so that you are much less likely to spread it. If the virus never really gets to take off, you won't be spreading it to others.

nate_meurer 5y ago
> If the virus never really gets to take off, you won't be spreading it to others. That might be true for some virii, but unfortunately not for sars-cov2. It became clear early on that asymptomatic and low-symptom infected people can spread the virus. And there's evidence that vaccinated people-- who can still be infected, but are less likely to fall ill-- can spread it as well.
- jjeaff 5y ago
  Asymptomatic means asymptomatic. It doesn't mean low viral load. Asymptomatic people just aren't reacting poorly to having the virus in their system. And there is evidence vaccinated people can spread it, there is also evidence indicating that you are 80% less likely to spread it.