55. How Vaccine Memory Works Against Covid-19 w/ Shiv Pillai

Follow the Science

It’s a confusing time right now - in January of 2022, since so many vaccinated people are coming down with omicron. The virus has changed a lot since the vaccines were formulated, but the data show they are still offering partial protection. To understand what’s going on, I asked immunologist(and poet) Shiv Pillai to explain how our bodies “remember” those vaccines. I wanted to know how vaccines work in the first place, and how they can protect us after the virus mutates into a new variant. What I learned was that the vaccines kick off a process of Darwinian evolution in your antibody-producing cells.

“Follow the Science" is produced, written, and hosted by Faye Flam, with funding by the Society for Professional Journalists. Today’s episode was edited by Seth Gliksman with music by Kyle Imperatore. If you’d like to hear more "Follow the Science," please like, follow, and subscribe!