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Do you have any information as to what number of spike proteins will be generated by the vaccine on a healthy young individual, compared to an asymptomatic infe
by bsaul 5y ago
Do you have any information as to what number of spike proteins will be generated by the vaccine on a healthy young individual, compared to an asymptomatic infection ?
I was under the impression that mrna vaccines relied on the fact that spike was the harmless key. As such wouldn't it make sense if the doses were designed to be quite high ?
Another question ( in case any specialist read this) : wouldn't it be possible that the S protein alone, being smaller than the whole virus, and being generated from unusual locations, is able to reach cells that would usually be protected in case of a regular airborne infection ?
- bamboozled 5y agoLet's say they're high in both cases, which infection is potentially more harmful ?
- the-rc 5y agoThe mRNA vaccines don't multiply. From the moment they enter the body, their total volume can and does go down, but not up. Compare that to the virus, which clones itself and tries to evade immune defenses. Even contrasting the two vaccines is not straightforward: Moderna uses 3x the amount of mRNA as Pfizer, but then their storage requirements are also less stringent. Regarding location, it's more of an issue in the opposite direction: the fact that it is delivered through intramuscular injection gives a slower and poorer immune response in the mucosa, the first line of defense, compared to hypothetical, equivalent vaccines administered orally or nasally. Currently you have to rely on antibodies getting to the mucosa through your blood. We know that the virus can reach the brain, the GI system, etc., so there doesn't seem to be "total" protection. Of course, across different people and different immune responses, there's going to be a variable amount of viral proteins hitting throughout one's body.