We answer that question in this corona update. It seems quite logical: a pharmaceutical company that promotes its own vaccine, but science also recommends the third shot. In fact, you will get an even better immunity in return than after your second vaccination.
Antibodies increase
This is apparent from British studies that have been conducted and immunologist Ger Rijkers endorses this course of action. “The amount of antibodies increases even further after a third booster shot, and their quality also improves.”
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Sounds nice, but how does that work? Rijkers explains with a calculation example. “Suppose you have one cell that can make antibodies. After vaccination that becomes 10 cells, 5 of them start to make antibodies, 5 become memory cells. After the second injection, they become 50 cells, which break down into 25 antibody cells, and 25 memory cells. And after the booster will be 250 cells, 125 antibodies, 125 memory cells.”
Comparison with tetanus
Rijkers’ calculation is of course a simplification of a difficult system that takes place in your body. And ultimately this calculation model is not infinite. But it works in the same way as with tetanus, for example, says Rijkers: “Children receive this injection six times, and each time the number of antibodies rises considerably.”
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There is one condition. Many antibodies or memory cells are of little use if they no longer recognize the virus at all. Omikron has not gone that far yet, says Rijkers, although the vaccines do not work as well as with the earlier variants. And then a booster is useful. “More is not always better in everyday life, but it is in immunology,” says Rijkers.
So more, but why better?
Then the second finding: the quality of the antibodies would improve after a booster. That’s right, says Rijkers. Unfortunately, Rijkers does not have a handy calculation model for that explanation. Yet he makes an effort to make it clear as easily as possible.
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An antibody cell must be activated before it actually starts producing antibody cells, and not all cells are equally strong and good, says Rijkers.
The best antibodies remain
“Just like with the virus, when antibody cells multiply, mutations occur,” says Rijkers. “And there are cells that develop in a way that makes them better and eventually expel the others. So the best antibodies are selected.”
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Clear? Maybe not yet. Remember: the cells mutate, they change. The cell that remains functions better than the others. Back to the virus for a moment, because exactly the same thing happens there: the delta variant expelled the alpha variant because it was more contagious. We don’t hear anything about that alpha variant anymore. The same now seems to be happening with the delta variant because omikron appears to be more contagious. The best antibodies will therefore soon be fighting the most contagious virus variant in people’s bodies.
Prick in the future
Boosting helps, because if you do nothing, the number of antibody cells decreases over time. The question is: are we all stuck with each year of vaccination against the corona virus?
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Virologist Gorben Pijlman of Wageningen University thinks not. “The expectation is that the coronavirus will eventually move towards a normal cold. Then you may receive an injection every year for risk groups, such as with the flu shot.”
Contamination after booster
Rijkers is also moderately positive, although it would have been nice if we had started the booster shots a little earlier. “And it would have been really nice if we now had a vaccine that would have been completely adapted to omikron.”
But if you get a booster now, an infection with omikron – in healthy people without problems with immune function – might even turn out well. Then you are well protected, and you will also receive the precise antibodies against omikron as a result of the infection. Just make sure you don’t infect vulnerable people.
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