Vaccine question

[AlexaShutUp]

I'm wondering if someone can help me.

I'm on day 17 after the first dose of the AZ vaccine. I know that a decent level of immunity will (hopefully!) be achieved by day 22, but could anyone tell me what happens before that? Can I assume that immunity builds up gradually in the three weeks before the vaccine, and that I will therefore have developed a degree of immunity already?

Don't worry, I'm not going to go out and party either way , but dd has gone back to school today and I'm feeling a bit anxious.

Can anyone who actually understands the science please advise?

I don't think it's a gradual, linear build-up, I think it's flatter and then a quite sudden increase in antibodies. I will have a look for papers on this, am pretty sure I've seen it somewhere.

Thanks @CrunchyCarrot. I have been googling, but haven't been able to find anything.

I’d be interested too @CrunchyCarrot, I was under the impression it was a slow build up so would be interested to read differently

I think I've read that you start to build up from day 12 to day 22. It'll be interesting to see if CC can find anything in writing.

Well, the body's natural immune response to Covid-19 shows antibody build up comes later (i.e. after a week-10 days) and then builds up quickly, so I'm thinking that a vaccine may do the same. But still looking for info. In the meantime, this paper from Sette and Crotty shows the antibody development in a COV-SARS-2 infection (scroll down for charts):

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7803150/

www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/astrazeneca/immunity.html

This is a good read.

I think I've read that you start to build up from day 12 to day 22.

I really hope that's right! DD will be as careful as she can in school, but social distancing isn't really possible so it would be nice to think that I had some protection!

If not, will just have to hope that we get through this week without being exposed! On a positive note, dh is now just over three weeks post vaccination, so hopefully he has some protection.

Thank you @CrunchyCarrot and @Dementedswan, I will have a look at the links.

Yes thank you @CrunchyCarrot and @Dementedswan (you’re username made me smile - they’re all demented!)

Yes you will have increasing protection at this stage. The days thing is to a certain arbitrary - in the trials where the data comes from people got tested at certain timepoints eg day 7, day 14, and day 21 so they can say “by day 21 x levels were seen” but people may have got there at day 18 but not had their antibody levels tested. What they are saying for example is that protection peaks by day 21 and is not higher at day 28. It is also not a zero to protected on day 21.

Don’t get too hung up on it - take care as you are doing and we are all advised to continue doing, but have sone reassurance that your levels are increasing.

Thank you @WhitechapelLass, that is what I was hoping to hear. I am not going to change my behaviour in any way, I was just hoping for some reassurance that the vaccine might already have started to provide some protection.

As for not getting too hung up on it, I will try! Anxiety is a strange thing, and it's taken hold of me this last year in a way that I never thought would happen to me - probably an unfortunate combination of the pandemic and perimenopause. I know it's irrational to obsess about this stuff, but I can't seem to switch it off!

You have a significant amount of protection by day 12, then the levels keep increasing up to day 21.

Thank you @Myshinynewname, that is very reassuring.

Not to scare but my DH got a positive 18 days after jab 1. I'm just under 2 months after 1st and currently self-isolating. Hoping I don't catch it ftpm him as due second in less than 3 weeks

Thank you @Aurorie11. May I ask if he has been ill with it?

I'm aware that I can still catch the virus, even after I have been fully vaccinated. I guess I'm just hoping that I will at least have some protection now against serious illness.

I hope that you manage to stay virus-free yourself!

@AlexaShutUp he's mainly been tired and unable to concentrate. He had a low fever for a day or two and oxygen level hasn't dropped below 97. Also very bored, he's in a room on his own and only see him on video calls.
We are convinced the vaccine has reduced symptoms

We are convinced the vaccine has reduced symptoms

Thanks @Aurorie11, that's reassuring.