Edit: I think I haven’t been clear.
So, uh, let me be clear:
Let’s say you’re fully vaccinated, wearing an n95 in public, and living with children that are fully vaccinated, but the children cannot wear masks and they go to schools without mask or vaccine policies.
So, are you safer if you get exposed to small amounts of Covid? My thinking was that otherwise you’re letting your vaccine wear off just hoping the kids don’t bring it home.
I’m certainly no expert on immunity, but I think there’s something about increased response to something frequently seen. And I’m wondering if the immune system will sort of build a better sketch of the suspect with repeated viewings.
Original post: We want to avoid infection, and breakthroughs happen, but concentration and duration of exposure affect likelihood and severity of infection.
So should the vaccinated avoid all exposure? Or is there any benefit to letting your immune system see some Covid occasionally?
Is my immune system like “Oh hey, these look a little like those ones I was warned about, I’ll add them to the list and keep that whole family on my radar for a while longer”
If you're <50 & not sure if you've had an active infection already, just get a nucleocapsid antibody test. I shelled out ~$50 for one.
If you don't already have long COVID symptoms, and you have nucleocapsid antibodies (eg, not spike protein subunit antibodies which are the only kind conferred by medical products) then you're almost definitely fine.
I had high levels of antibodies detectable in blood in Jul 2020, never had any symptoms whatsoever but was in Shanghai visiting fiance's family and we left at the tail-end of Jan 2020 so maybe then, maybe later, who knows. Subsequent tests in May 2021 and Jan 2022 also had showed consistent high N antibody levels. In Feb 2022 my triple-vaccinated fiance got a pretty bad case at work, in a school. Lasted for ~12 days. She's >50. I took no precautions whatsoever and never felt sick.