Viruses are made of proteins. When a virus enters the human body, the immune system may create antibodies that specifically match proteins on the virus. These antibodies will bind with the viral proteins, triggering a process that destroys the proteins and thus the virus.

If a foreign protein has features that are very similar to other proteins, there is a chance that antibodies created to bind with the foreign protein may also bind with the other similar proteins. This similarity is called homology.

Sometimes viruses have proteins that are homologous with human proteins. This homology increases the risk that antibodies created to match and bind with the viral protein may mistakenly bind with human proteins. When an antibody binds with a human protein, that antibody is called an autoantibody, and the binding mistake is called an autoimmune response. Auto means self.

Autoimmune responses lead to autoimmune disease, which is the 3rd leading cause of illness and death in America, affecting females four times more often than males, primarily women of child-bearing age. It takes about six years for autoimmune disease to develop after exposure to a trigger. The exact causes of autoimmune disease are unknown, and there is no known cure. Protein homology is a recognized trigger of autoimmune response.

COVID-19 proteins are unusually and highly homologous to human proteins. Natural and vaccine exposure to COVID-19 proteins has already caused immediate autoimmune responses in some people.

It is probable that natural and vaccine exposure will also cause long-term autoimmune disorders in some people. Again, autoimmune disease has a years-long latency period.

The COVID-19 spike-protein is highly homologous with human proteins. It is too soon for any scientist to say that the current spike-protein vaccines will not contribute to future autoimmune disease.

The normal timeframe for approval of new vaccines is 10 years, which allows for long-term safety testing.

Humans have never developed clinically effective lasting immunity to coronaviruses. It was never likely that a single-protein coronavirus vaccine would induce lasting immunity to a coronavirus. During development of the spike-protein COVID-19 vaccines, booster shot requirements were always a predictable outcome.

Safer COVID-19 vaccine designs have been available since early 2020. These peptide designs eliminate homology risk by presenting only non-homologous epitopes, or only T-cell epitopes. It is possible that such designs may induce lasting immunity by presenting less-dominant conserved epitopes or by inducing a robust but atypical T-cell response.

The spike-protein vaccines only protect against infection and transmission for about five months. Biannual boosters are required to maintain peak levels of circulating antibodies. Natural and vaccine exposure to COVID-19 proteins does induce production of memory B-cells and T-cells, but as available data would predict, these immune memory responses are not resulting in clinically effective lasting immunity. COVID-19 vaccine-breakthrough infections and natural-reinfections are a reality.

COVID-19 booster shots are repeat exposures to the human-homologous spike-protein. Repeat exposure to a homologous protein increases homology risk.

Natural immunity induced by natural exposure to multiple COVID-19 viral proteins is likely more diverse than vaccine immunity induced by exposure to one protein, but there is no reason to think that natural immunity will last. It is unproductive to argue over which temporary immunity is better. That time could be better spent by uniting people to collectively demand the development and testing of improved vaccine designs.

The goal of vaccination is accelerated herd immunity. That goal cannot be achieved with a vaccine that is only effective for five months, especially in a population that is justifiably reluctant to take a new vaccine that has no long-term safety testing. Widespread acceptance of boosters is unlikely, especially as people become more informed about vaccine risk and the availability of safer COVID-19 vaccine designs.

After 19 months of epidemic, 99.95% of all Americans in the 5-17 age bracket have not been admitted to a hospital with or for COVID-19.

For kids, virus risk is very low whereas vaccine risk is unknown and theoretically high. Requiring the current vaccines for public school attendance is unjustifiable and dangerous. California has already implemented a public school COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

After 19 months of epidemic, 99.5% of all Americans under age 65 have not required hospital admission for COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccine mandates are unwarranted, and for kids and young women, potentially unsafe.

This letter is based entirely on CDC data and peer-reviewed articles published in recognized medical journals.

Data sources and citations are provided at www.katevax.org.

David Spaugh lives near Baker City.