Immunity to Covid-19 could be lost in months

["Roger"]

A study done at King's College, suggests that one's immunity to having been affected by the coronavirus could be lost within about three months. A few highlights...

In the first longitudinal study of its kind, scientists analysed the immune response of more than 90 patients and healthcare workers

The study has implications for the development of a vaccine, and for the pursuit of “herd immunity” in the community over time...The immune system has multiple ways to fight the coronavirus but if antibodies are the main line of defence, the findings suggested people could become reinfected in seasonal waves and that vaccines may not protect them for long.

“I cannot underscore how important it is that the public understands that getting infected by this virus is not a good thing. Some of the public, especially the youth, have become somewhat cavalier about getting infected, thinking that they would contribute to herd immunity. Not only will they place themselves at risk, and others, by getting infected, and losing immunity, they may even put themselves at greater risk of more severe lung disease if they get infected again in the years to come.”

The study, which has been submitted to a journal but has yet to be peer-reviewed...

Immunity to Covid-19 could be lost in months, UK study suggests

Exclusive: King’s College London team found steep drops in antibody levels three months after infection

www.theguardian.com

 

[Krteczech]

This may be an answer for own lacking of antibodies. I took antibody test three months+two weeks after being sick. I learned something today again thangs to TUG.

 

[dioxide45]

This my be an answer for own lacking of antibodies. I took antibody test three months+two weeks after being sick. I learned something today again thangs to TUG.

It could also be that antibody testing isn't as far along as it needs to be.

 

[Monykalyn]

"But Prof Arne Akbar, an immunologist at UCL, said antibodies are only part of the story. There is growing evidence, he said, that T cells produced to fight common colds can protect people as well. Those patients who fight the virus with T cells may not need to churn out high levels of antibodies, he added. "

There is actually more and more evidence coming out that Antibodies only are ONE -repeat ONE part of the immune system to fight against covid and when researchers dug deeper (more expensive and time consuming and not as splashy of headlines) that the immunity is more hidden in T-cells

Science | AAAS

www.sciencemag.org

But there is still lots of unknowns. I just wish the news media would be responsible in putting that out there instead of fear-inducing headlines with the actual meaning buried in an article and usually behind a paywall!!!

At this point anything coming out of Imperial College I look at with the side-eye

 

[PigsDad]

But there is still lots of unknowns. I just wish the news media would be responsible in putting that out there instead of fear-inducing headlines with the actual meaning buried in an article and usually behind a paywall!!!

It does seem like the media (and a few people here on TUG) thrives on the fear-inducing headlines.

Kurt

 

[dioxide45]

I guess the question to ask is, are there reported mass cases of people being infected again? I know there have been some limited reports, but some of those were early on where tests could have easily been false positives. Even now, they could be false positives. Perhaps if we start seeing waves of reinfection, it is time to get concerned.

 

[geekette]

The question of reinfection is really interesting to me, goes hand in hand with my curiosity about mutation. I don't know how they name strains, I'll go with A, B, C. Is there some scenario in which getting A means you won't get B, but if you get C, you remain susceptible to A?? Or, can you cycle through each of them once and be done with those, until another mutation comes along? Is B the one that sends blood clots throughout the body, but A is pneumonia and C is Everything??

The pandemic has made me 'more sciency', not a bad thing. It will be a while to know much about mutations, but it has to make vaccine development even trickier.