Crisp Vaccine Update: Antibodies

If you’ve been vaccinated or even had COVID at some point, you may be wondering about how antibodies protect you from the virus. There are different ways your body can produce antibodies, including through an immune response to one of the vaccines, or from an immune response to your body actually fighting a COVID infection.

Many people are curious about the role that antibodies play in the immune system – especially as the more contagious Delta Variant makes its way into our communities.

COVID antibodies are proteins made by your body as a specific response to the COVID virus. These proteins are like weapons your body can use against the COVID virus if it enters your body. Your body makes these antibodies in response to a COVID infection or vaccine.

While antibody tests can determine if you have antibodies in your blood due to a previous infection or vaccine, they cannot give you a score of how immune you are. This is because antibodies are only one part of the many resources your body uses to fight a COVID infection. So while antibodies do play an important part, there are numerous other factors that go into determining your level of immunity that an antibody test cannot measure.

This is one reason why it is important for people who have previously been infected with COVID to still receive the COVID vaccine. The vaccines strengthen your overall immune response, in addition to producing antibodies.

The bottom line is that a vaccine is still your strongest line of defense against COVID. Even if you have naturally accruing antibodies from a COVID infection, you should still protect yourself with one of the available COVID vaccines.