COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been the most highly discussed health topic in the news recently. During 2020-2022 it frequently made the top story, along with the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The death rate from COVID and the severity of illness have decreased dramatically since the introduction of the vaccine; however, the vaccine has not stopped the transmission of the virus. Why does the COVID vaccine not act like the smallpox vaccine in which the recipients had almost complete immunity and which eventually eradicated the disease? Why can people still contract COVID after four doses of the vaccine?
The answer is complex and has much to do with the virus itself, as well as how our immune systems respond to the virus. And perhaps, we just haven't yet discovered the right vaccine. The image on the right displays data from the CDC on how many people in the US received the fourth "bivalent" booster as of February 2023. The low numbers may indicate that people are not confident the vaccine is helping.
However, this course is not about COVID or the COVID vaccine specifically, but rather about the concepts involved in vaccination and how it creates immunity to the disease for which it was intended. You will learn about the microbial complexities which create a challenge in the development of vaccines. You'll also find out about the different types of vaccines and learn how they are developed. We'll cover laboratory testing involved in developing vaccines and testing a patient's immune status after receiving a vaccine. You will discover why vaccines, like the COVID vaccine, aren't always perfect.
Vaccines are one of the most interesting and challenging parts of immunology, yet oddly enough, some vaccines were developed without little or any knowledge of the immune system or immunology—you'll find out about that too.
