It could be possible that [some, (0,100]%, portion of the benefit provided by] the vaccines wear off after a certain amount of time. This makes statistics like 99.7% of Waterford have been vaccinated perhaps less insightful than something like 34% (or whatever the actual number is) have been vaccinated in the last 6 months.
edit: added [some portion, (0,100]%, of the benefit provided by]
The vaccine wears off in a few days. The vaccine tells the body to make copies of the “spike protein”. After a few days, the body breaks down the vaccine. In the meantime, the body makes copies of the spike protein. The immune system sees the spike protein and starts making antibodies to fight it off.
Those antibodies do not last forever. It is my understanding that the lifespan of antibodies is largely determined by the type of virus they are for. For example, luckily the antibodies for measles and polio last decades. On the other hand, antibodies for rhinovirus and coronavirus last months not years, which is part of the reason why you can have more than one cold in your life.
tiahura|4 years ago
Those antibodies do not last forever. It is my understanding that the lifespan of antibodies is largely determined by the type of virus they are for. For example, luckily the antibodies for measles and polio last decades. On the other hand, antibodies for rhinovirus and coronavirus last months not years, which is part of the reason why you can have more than one cold in your life.