2 ms·

Thanks. Now I know another term. I'm a bit confused by the term "infection" here. Let me split some hairs: Vaccines work by teaching the immune system how to

Thanks. Now I know another term. I'm a bit confused by the term "infection" here. Let me split some hairs: Vaccines work by teaching the immune system how to fight an intruding virus, so it doesn't have to spend days or weeks figuring it out while the virus destroys your body. That means vaccinated people get viruses as often as unvaccinated, but defeat it much faster, usually before you notice any symptoms. My confusion is that I would call the time my immune system spends fighting a virus in my body an "infection", but apparently that is not the established use.

sn9 5y ago
Your confusion is warranted. These aren't terms that are 100% agreed upon and the scientific understanding is still evolving as our tools get better. The Atlantic just published an article about this very topic: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/sterilizing-immunity-myth-covid-19-vaccines/620023/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/steriliz...
SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
If the immune system fights off the invader before it becomes established and starts freely replicating (before any symptoms, before it can be detected, before it can be transmitted) then it's not an infection. It's just some contamination.