Vaccines aren’t magic barriers. Vaccines don’t kill the virus or target pathogens. But the vaccines stimulate one’s immune system to create antibodies.
These are the antibodies that are specific against the virus or the pathogen for the vaccine and they allow the body to fight the infection before it takes a grip and causes further damage.
However, some people won’t have a strong enough immune response to the vaccine and may still be susceptible to developing COVID-19 if exposed to the virus.
There are various factors like our age gender, medications, diet, exercise, health, and stress levels which is responsible for how a person responds to a vaccine. However, it is quite difficult to state, who hasn’t developed a strong enough immune response to the vaccine.
Measuring a person’s immune response to a vaccine is not easy and it requires detailed laboratory tests for process. At the same time, it also takes time for the immune system to respond to the vaccines and produces antibodies.
While the side effects from the vaccine show that you have a response and having no symptoms doesn’t mean that you are having a weak immune system.
For most two-shot vaccines, antibody levels rise and then dip after the first dose. These antibodies are then boosted after the second. But you’re not optimally covered until your antibody levels rise after the second dose.
“Once you are fully vaccinated your chances are drastically reduced of getting infected. In some cases where people get infected despite having taken vaccination are known as “vaccines breakthrough cases. While the vaccinations are effective, it is not possible for a vaccine to prevent infection 100% of the time. It is however observed that when vaccinated people are affected, they usually have mild infections or asymptomatic disease,” said Dr. Amitkumar Shah, DNB Medicine, Consultant Physician at AXIS Hospital.
He added, our body takes about 2 weeks to build protection after vaccination, so it’s possible for one to get affected prior to the development of enough antibodies in the body. In some cases, the mutants or the new variants might be the reasons for getting sick despite getting vaccinated.
Studies have shown that fully vaccinated people are less likely to spread Covid as compared to non-vaccinated ones.
Dr. Mugdha Tapdiya, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj explained, “Infection after getting fully vaccinated against any disease is called breakthrough infection. If the infection is caught 2 weeks after the last dose of vaccine.”
She said there few reasons like:
- Weakened Immunity due to preexisting disease or treatment like chemotherapy.
2-Research suggest that one catches the disease due to different variant of virus, against which vaccine is less effective.
3-Improper storage of vaccine which affects the efficacy of the vaccine.