- Coronavirus immunity remains a mystery, as the virus is too young for researchers to offer a definitive answer as to its duration.
- Several studies have shown that the immune response after COVID-19 involves many cell types, not just neutralizing antibodies.
- A new study on COVID-19 immunity, which everyone should consider, has just been published in a scientific journal after being published in pre-printed format in mid-November.
- The study shows that people infected at the beginning of the pandemic still had a strong immune response eight months later, suggesting similar protection against vaccines.
The first coronavirus vaccines are being administered in the United States and the United Kingdom right now, and the entire European Union will begin its vaccination campaign after Christmas. The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in all of these regions, and Moderna’s drug is currently only used in America. Combined with ongoing health measures, vaccines can accelerate a return to normalcy because they can help boost the herd’s immunity quickly.
Phase 3 trials have shown that both drugs can protect against severe COVID-19 in 95% of cases, which can help drastically reduce the number of deaths. Vaccine developers also explained that vaccines elicit potent immune responses, which match or exceed what is seen in COVID-19 survivors. What they can’t say is how long coronavirus immunity lasts after inoculation, but now there is a new study on coronavirus that brings good news in that regard.
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Researchers at Monash University published their findings about a month ago in the form of a prior review. They studied samples from 25 COVID-19 survivors and found that volunteers developed long-term immunity after infection. Samples were taken up to 242 days after infection, or about eight months.
The researchers confirmed that proteins that can block the virus from the infection of cells can disappear from the bloodstream after a period of time. These are the neutralizing antibodies that bind to the virus’s ear protein, preventing it from binding to human cells.
But they also made a more important discovery.
The team found that the immune system creates B and T cells specific to the new pathogen. These white blood cells will recognize the coronavirus in case of a second encounter. B cells would create other antibodies in response to the new event, while some of the T cells directly kill those cells that become infected. Although antibodies decreased over time, memory B cells continued to rise until 150 days after the onset of symptoms.
Monash researchers have given the world the best possible news of immunity to date, that the immune response after a COVID-19 infection is potent. In addition, they confirmed other recent studies on immunity that indicated that not only neutralizing antibodies are important in helping to fight the virus after reinfection. The immune response is more complex than that.
Vaccine manufacturers have mostly detailed neutralizing antibodies in their reports, but have also begun analyzing B and T cells after vaccines. The Pfizer / BioNTech team recently explained that T cells that can target the virus’s peak protein are created after vaccination.
The Monash study has just been published in a suitable scientific journal: ScienceMag. Although more data are needed on the topic of COVID-19 immunity, this adds additional validation to the research. It is not just a more published document in the form of a non-peer review.
“As knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 and human lung immunology evolves, we will know what is required for a protective response to this respiratory virus. However, we propose that the establishment of systemic immune memory will prevent COVID- 19 severe systemic, and that reinfection may be limited to a mild or asymptomatic upper respiratory tract infection, ”the researchers wrote.
They also suggest that the B-cell study could be used in vaccine research. “As we have shown that SARS-CoV-2 is specific [B memory] cell numbers are stable over time, we propose that these [B memory] may represent a more robust marker of long-lived humoral immune responses than serum antibodies. Therefore, cellular measures of the immune response could be more reliable markers for maintaining immunity after natural infection or vaccination. “
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As more time passes, researchers will continue to measure the immune response in COVID-19 patients who became infected at the onset of the disease. Immunity could last even longer than the eight months of protection documented by the Monash study. Because the virus is still so new, it’s too early to tell.
Separately, the head of Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, said infection prevention “can be shorter, maybe last three, four, six months” in an interview a few days ago. But he added that “disease prevention, in my humble opinion as an expert, will probably last a year or two, three years.” This means that people may be infected with the coronavirus, but will not develop severe COVID-19 in most cases.
Studies like this can give more people the motivation to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Herd immunity will require more than 70% of people to be vaccinated and there is still a significant group that doubts. Vaccine supply will be scarce initially, but anyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine should get one before April, as manufacturing increases. If you are still close to vaccines, this is the COVID-19 immunity study that should convince you.
Chris Smith began writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on technology issues with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he can’t get away from them, even though he tries desperately. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.