COVID-19 immune response improves for months after vaccination At a Glance Researchers showed that B cells evolve after COVID-19 vaccination to help improve protection against SARS-CoV-2 over time. A better understanding of how the immune system responds to COVID-19 vaccination could lead to more effective and longer-lasting vaccination strategies. Antibodies are the immune system’s first line of defense against viruses like SARS-CoV-2.. Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19. They elicit a strong defense against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease. Vaccines activate your body’s disease defense system, called the immune system. The response starts by engaging two kinds of immune cells: B cells, which produce antibodies that fight off the virus, and T cells, which destroy infected cells. After this initial response, levels of antibodies in the bloodstream begin to fall. But some B and T cells stay around to keep a “memory” of the virus and fight off fu

Health Trying to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine? These New Tools May Help Written by Brian Mastroianni on April 15, 2021 — Fact checked by Jennifer Chesak Getting an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine can be a frustrating process, but several tech companies are working to change that. Johner Images/Getty Images Tech companies like Facebook and Google have been promoting new tools to help connect users to vaccination appointments. These tools can not only help people book appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine in their area, they also provide answers to common questions. Some of these tools also include features that allow people to share they got vaccinated and encourage others to do the same. As COVID-19 vaccinations become more accessible to people throughout the United States, what everyone wants to know is, how and where can you make an appointment? Federal and local health departments have established vaccination sites, while major pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens have set

Health  Health New Tool Tracks Vaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy Rates Across Geographies, Population Groups Lydia Anderson, Thomas File, Joey Marshall, Kevin McElrath, Zachary Scherer  |  April 14, 2021 Who is getting a COVID-19 vaccine? Who is hesitant about receiving it and why? What state has the highest vaccination or hesitancy rate? The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has been the subject of extensive news coverage and a new U.S. Census Bureau data visualization tool aims to provide insights into the public’s feelings about COVID-19 vaccines in near real time.