re: Covid vaccine check in

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Can you explain how this mRNA vaccine can prevent you from getting the virus when antibodies from actually contracting the virus can’t do the same thing? Meaning people who have gotten the virus can contract it a second time but the ones who receive the vaccine cannot initially get it?

I’ve never received an answer for this question and I’ve been hoping someone can answer for me.

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*Not a medical professional, just a normal schlub


My understanding is that there's no guarantee you can't contract the virus again whether you get the vaccine or you contract the virus naturally. In fact, you probably can, as immunity is estimated at ~3-4 months IIRC, but it should be much more mild should you contract it again, similar to how many people get milder flu infections if they got the flu shot.


To those concerned about the safety of the new vaccine:

The mRNA is just the spike protein of the virus, meaning it can't infect but it gives your body a chance to activate antibodies for the virus. mRNA is new in human trials but has been studied for decades, including in animals, so confidence in safety and efficacy is quite high.

I don't think it's completely irrational to be hesitant to take a rushed vaccine but I suggest reading into what it is and how it works to understand why it's pretty low-risk and lower risk than all of the long-term issues COVID has been shown to cause in some people, even healthy people.