Covid vaccine, Lopalco: “Just say third dose, we say ‘booster'”

“Why do you need to take the third dose?” of the Covid vaccine, “who should do it? First of all we can also stop calling it the third dose. It is called ‘booster’ and is one of the basic concepts of vaccinology. Almost all vaccinations, in fact, require a primary course of immunization (with one or more doses) and one or more reminders after some time “. The epidemiologist, Apulian regional councilor and resigned regional health councilor Pierluigi Lopalco writes on his Facebook page. “After the primary cycle – he adds – our body is already ready to meet the microorganism against which it was vaccinated. In the event of infection, in fact, the immune response is ready and can be documented by a very rapid increase in specific antibodies. The antibodies produced following this second encounter are also of a higher ‘quality’, that is, they are better able to block the microorganism. To mount this type of immune response, our body takes a few days “.” In the case of a disease that has a long incubation – underlines Lopalco – it is not a problem: while the virus takes its time to infect the cells , multiply and invade the organism, our defense system is well organized. There is no escape for the virus. If, on the other hand, the virus is fast and the incubation time is short, then the battle can be uncertain. The new variants of Sars-Cov-2 have shown precisely that they have acquired these characteristics of ‘speed’. “” The data collected so far – he highlights – show us that after the primary course of vaccination with anti-Covid19 vaccines, protection lasts for long. From the data of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the protection against the severe form of the disease in all vaccinated people is still close to 90%. Instead, protection against infection drops, which at the moment seems to be between 50% and 60% “.” The reason is precisely that which has just been explained. Until the immune system recognizes the viral infection and activates its defenses, a few days pass – underlines Lopalco – and the virus still manages to multiply in our organism and, consequently, to spread. It is then blocked anyway and the damage to the organism is limited to a minimum. The worst can be the weaker ones who take longer to assemble the defenses or who, for different reasons, even with a milder attack of the virus can still receive important damage to the organism “.” This is why the vaccine booster – remembers Lopalco – it is important. Especially in this phase of the pandemic, when the circulation of the virus tends to increase and it is therefore necessary to erect increasingly resistant walls against its spread. After the vaccination, in fact, the immune response after the encounter with the virus is immediate and therefore also the protection against infection reaches the highest levels. We must do this to protect those unfortunate few who, despite vaccination, could have serious consequences from infection. But we must also do this for those who have fallen victim to the insane no-vax propaganda and have not yet understood the risks they face in dealing with this virus without vaccination coverage. Well yes, because each of us sooner or later in life this virus will meet it. Doing it with your bare hands – concludes Lopalco – is unconscious “.