Can Too Much COVID Vaccination Pose a Problem?
Overusing medications is ill-advised because the consequences can be astronomical
So, it begs a question: is it possible to overdo vaccines?
This needs an answer ASAP because we are already at the fourth dose of COVID vaccines
Pondering that question makes sense after people overused antibiotics
The discovery of antibiotics is a gigantic milestone for humanity.
The drugs spared millions of lives from bacterial infections and serious complications
Sadly, the drugs have been abused and it led to some antibiotics becoming obsolete against many infections
This is part of the overlooked pandemic called antimicrobial resistance
Overuse of antibiotics happens when they are used to treat non-bacterial infections, such as influenza, COVID-19, whooping cough, and the common cold
Incorrect use not only kills beneficial bacteria in your body but also promotes resistance
When the time comes you need antibiotics, the resistance can render initially effective antibiotics useless
How about vaccines?
In this pandemic, we've been administering two doses of COVID vaccines globally for some time, and now, we are at the fourth dose, specifically authorized by many governments for highly vulnerable populations
Most experts say that there's no evidence suggesting we can overdo vaccination against COVID-19
However, scientists are discussing if boosting excessively can affect our ability to fight this pandemic and emerging variants
EMA Head of Vaccines Strategy Marco Cavaleri said earlier this year that excessive boosting could weaken the immune system, instead of strengthening it
"If we have a strategy in which we give boosters every four months, we will end up potentially having problems with immune response," said Cavaleri, per The Mercury News
Although Cavaleri didn't explain how that could happen, Harvard Professor Dr. Sarah Fortune hinted that the former might be referring to the possible exhaustion of T cells
Dr. Fortune said that T cells could become dysfunctional when repeatedly exposed to antigens in certain contexts
One main example of such a context is the study on HIV and cancer patients "where the antigen is there all the time" without the aid of vaccines
Though it is yet to be proven in the case of COVID-19
Whether it is detrimental to the immune system or not, there's an even bigger issue – the practicality of boosting everyone multiple times a year
It is a costly approach even if experts scientifically confirmed its safety and effectiveness
We need something more solid that can work as an annual preventive measure against this disease
But if the danger of overusing COVID vaccines is the only question, it shouldn't be compared to antibiotics
Immunologist Dr. Robert Quigley referred to the comparison as talking about apples and oranges
Still, emerging variants have been observed with mutations that boost their ability to dodge vaccine-induced immunity
Let's hope scientists can give us a better countermeasure versus COVID-19
Do you think it is possible to overdo vaccination?
Which one are you more confident: yearly vaccination or multiple doses a year?
Share your thoughts in the comment section
'Till our next video! Thanks for watching!