okay so what is the answer?

[cherrybunx0]

I have just read this on the UK morning updates:

The UK has placed antibody tests - which check if someone has had Covid-19 - at the centre of its plan to return to normal life. But these hopes have been dealt a blow afterthe World Health Organization questioned whether these tests offer any guarantee of immunity,with experts saying there was no evidence having had coronavirus would protect someone from re-infection

it follows on to state so this also questions how successful and vaccines would be.

if this is the case what is the answer? not scare mongering btw obviously life cant go on like this forever but what is the exit strategy for the world. I'm questioning this because a lot are saying life wont fully get back to normal until their is a vaccine but if said vaccine isnt a guarantee it would work because theres a chance we cant become immune then realistically what do we do?

genuinely curious on peoples thoughts here. I guess hope that we do become immune and are able to prove this a bit further down the line with longer term studies

just felt a bit well what then when I read this from the WHO

WHO said not enough people have immunity yet.
Not that immunity is can't be achieved.
It's been very badly reported!
See if you can find a clip of them speaking, their own words.

In theory one should develop immunity. There being insufficient evidence and something being untrue are two different things. If this is some kind of super virus to which we cannot develop immunity then we’re going to have to go back to normal but with improved hygiene, border controls and, wider application of WFH and accept that we will have occasional outbreaks and deaths as a result. It’s extremely unlikely though.

ah @YeOldeTrout that's good to hear. bbc do like to report very gloom and doom!

This did occur to me. We can't get immunity against the other coronaviruses. We can however build up a bank of vaccines which we choose from carefully depending on the strain.

Should say, we can of course gain immunity to one individual virus but coronaviruses mutate readily.

Universal (non-medical grade) mask wearing in public like shops and trains to cut the risk of transmission to others.
Recommendation of high dose vitamin D3 to everyone, and a 6 month supply handed out to at risk groups when they get flu jabs. It’s an under recognised fact, backed up by many medical papers, that vitamin D has a huge role to play in preventing and mitigating respiratory diseases.
Promotion of healthy eating and abstaining from ultra processed food (which makes up 50% of the British diet)... sugar, grain based carbs and seed oils. See Aseem Malhotra’s (NHS consultant cardiologist) report in European Scientist journal yesterday. Metabolic disease is a big factor in who gets hit hard by covid.
Continuing the ban on mass events and gatherings like sport and music.
Ramping up testing asap, contact tracing and quarantining those who’ve had contact with someone infected. Many people could begin to return to a low key normality, at risk people continue to be shielded.

Massively ramp up rates of testing and establish widespread contact tracing. That would greatly slow infection rates. South Korea and Germany have both followed that route and both have far fewer deaths from COVID-19 than the UK.

Now we have valid, reliable tests we can expand testing, use results to identify people who have it, follow their progress post infection, recruit to various studies and work on things like immunity, antibody tests etc.

As will all other countries.

Much has been slowed by the invalid tests previously bought, sold without adequate testing.

If Raab etc are right and mass manufacture is now possible we should see more and more analysis and eventual changes in treatments and lockdown that wouldn't have been possible without reliable mass testing.

Fingers crossed that next week brings more concrete need on this.