Quote:
Originally Posted by Sephiroth
Is there an oxymoron in there, OB?
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No oxymorons, Seph. I think it was a scientist on the radio who was talking about just relying on the circulation of Covid to keep immune systems topped up.
This article touches on it, but is not optimistic that this can be achieved in the short term. But as yet, we don’t know for sure. With the vaccinations protecting us, there will no longer be drastic consequences due to natural infection or re infection, so you could rely on that to avoid the need for constant re-vaccinations.
[EXTRACT FROM British Medical Journal]
Antibodies and reinfection
Over time covid-19 could become a disease first encountered in early childhood, when it would typically cause mild infection or none at all, Jennie Lavine, an infectious disease researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, USA, told Nature. Although that defence would wane quickly and not be sufficient to block reinfection entirely, it could be enough to protect adults experiencing severe symptoms.
Scientists consider this scenario likely because it matches four existing endemic coronaviruses—OC43, 229E, NL63, and HKU1—but it is not certain. A large study has shown that levels of neutralising antibodies start to decline after around six to eight months after infection with SARS-CoV-2.2 If a new infection arises, memory B cells can manufacture antibodies and T cells that can eliminate virus infected cells, but it has yet to be established whether this immune memory can block viral reinfection.