The Immune System
It’s first important to understand how your immune system works. Basically, your immune system attack anything foreign to your body. If it notices a virus or a bacteria or anything that it doesn’t recognize, it launches an attack to defeat it.
If it’s fighting off a virus, for example, it takes time to prepare it army. It’s got to figure out what part of the virus to attack & prepare its warriors and weapons That can take a few days. Meanwhile the virus is replicating and expanding. (This is when you can feel you might be about to get sick, but you’re not sick yet!)
Once your body defeats any virus, it remembers it, your immune system has a memory and if you run into that virus again, your memory cells say “I remember this virus before and I have the weapons and warriors already prepared”. Your body uses it’s past experience to demolish the virus before it can make you sick. (This happens every time you catch a cold)
Now we know about immune memory, let’s talk about the vaccine. Scientists looked at the COVID virus and saw a weak spot in its structure. It was a particular protein. The perfect place for your immune army to launch an attack.
A New Protein Arrives
We will call this protein, the ‘weak-spot protein.‘
So scientists examined the structure for the ‘weak-spot’ protein on COVID and made an instruction booklet on how to make it. (A booklet that your body could read.’
This instruction booklet is the vaccine and that is what is injected into our bodies.
Let me explain.
The vaccine contains no actual part of the virus. It has only the instructions on how to make the ‘weak spot’ protein. So, you can’t get infected with COVID from the vaccine. Your body is simply injected with the instructions on how to make this particular protein.
Once injected, Your cells read these instructions and say “thanks for the new information I’ll start making the protein right away”. So your cells make a bunch of the ‘weak spot’ proteins. (Not the virus, just the weakest part)
The Great Immune Battle
Your immune system immediately notices this new protein you’re producing and quickly gathers your immune troops and says “Hey guys, we have an invasion on our hands, gather the army.” And it starts attacking the protein.
So you destroy the weak spot protein (which in and of itself can’t infect you, it’s just a protein, not the virus).
Remember your body hasn’t seen this protein before, so it takes a little while to gather the military. Then it launches an all out war against the ‘weak spot’ protein. The fevers, chills, muscle soreness, etc you might get as vaccine side effects is your body bombarding the ‘weak spot’ protein.
Immune Memory is the Key
Once defeated, and it doesn’t take long because it’s just a protein and not a virus, your memory cells ‘remember’ the ‘weak spot’ protein. They remember exactly how to destroy it.
So then, a few months later, you accidentally forget to wash your hands and the COVID virus enters your body. Your body has never seen the virus before………. but
it’s seen that ‘weak spot’ protein that’s on the outside of the virus. Your immune memory cells say “You’ve got to be kidding me, THIS cheeky protein again, I’ve already told him he’s not welcome around here, Get out of here!”
Your body’s own ‘natural immune system’ quickly and efficiently launches an all out war, using the same army and weapons it used before and destroys the virus before it can take hold, replicate, and make you sick.
You’re Vaccinated
Congratulations! Now, you’re almost 100% immune to COVID! You’ve got the weapons and army to defeat it as soon as it enters your body at any point in the future!
8 Responses
You’re absolutely graced to teach! Now we need to replicate you in every classroom in every school so our children fall in love with the experience of learning.
A different interesting and effective approach to be informed about Covid 19 vaccine!
This is so amazing and as a teacher, I definitely love to get all I can for the betterment of my students.
Amazing story to explain with . Ms. Arshi is right about her statement 😀
Explained in a very interesting way, thanks Gavin
Amazingly explained!!
Hi Gavin,
What a great way to describe vaccination to a student. Clear, succinct and in a narrative form that will be easier to understand.
Well done.
Karen McGufficke Cleary
Loved the army and warriors fighting against COVID-19. Your kids must be enjoying your classes. 🥰