First Thing
First Thing
[Ponytail and Cueball are walking toward the right side of a single panel. Ponytail is gesturing with one arm.]
Ponytail: The first thing I'm going to do after I get the vaccine? Ponytail: Definitely make a bunch of spike proteins and engulf them with dendritic cells. Ponytail: Then I'll probably display the antigens to my T-cells...

This comic is another in a series of comics related to the COVID-19 pandemic , specifically regarding the COVID-19 vaccine .
This comic, somewhat like 2402: Into My Veins , references both the COVID-19 vaccine and a common Internet trend. Two comics later in 2406: Viral Vector Immunity , the vaccine is again referenced.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most consequential and broadly unpleasant events in living memory [ citation needed ] .  As of the publication of this strip, it is estimated to have caused over 1.5 million deaths worldwide and over 300,000 deaths in the United States. Many more cases that have not resulted in fatality often need serious medical support and/or have lasting implications.  Even for those who have been spared infection, measures to slow the spread of the virus have been highly impactful and have been ongoing for nearly a year.
In consequence of all of this, many people are excited for the vaccine (which will hopefully end the pandemic). Many people online have been sharing plans for what they'll do after getting the vaccine, like "see my friends" or "travel the world." In this comic, Ponytail takes the phrase literally, listing not what she will voluntarily choose to do but what low-level involuntary systems in her body will do immediately after getting the vaccine:
The next step is mentioned in the title text:
The last point, which are the only things that Ponytail will choose to do is important, for a number of reasons.  The vaccines currently available offer a great deal of protection to an individual patient, but that protection takes several days to even begin in a significant way. Full immunity will likely require several weeks and an additional dose.  In addition, while highly effective, the current crop of vaccines are not 100% effective. And even those who develop immunity can become contaminated with the virus on their person and then transmit it to others.
For all of these reasons, there is a very real fear of people who receive vaccinations immediately abandoning all other precautions and continuing to spread the virus.  Genuinely ending the pandemic will require precautions to remain in place until enough of the population is vaccinated that a combination of high levels of population immunity and other distancing precautions lower the infection rate to a controllable level. Abandoning safety precautions before this occurs could extend the pandemic and cost lives.  Accordingly, Ponytail's intent is to be responsible and maintain all appropriate precautions until such time as it's safe to change them.
[Ponytail and Cueball are walking toward the right side of a single panel. Ponytail is gesturing with one arm.]
Ponytail: The first thing I'm going to do after I get the vaccine? Ponytail: Definitely make a bunch of spike proteins and engulf them with dendritic cells. Ponytail: Then I'll probably display the antigens to my T-cells...
