Immunity

[SadToday2]

Are we any further along in understanding if having covid makes you immune from getting it again, and how long the immunity lasts?

Well I read on BBC website a report that a care worker at the Isle of Skye - where they had an early outbreak and subsequent critical report - has just tested positive again. She had it in the original outbreak, test confirmed, then had two negative tests, now positive again.

Think medics don't know if you can catch it again or it decreases in your body then flares up again (symptoms plus antibodies).

Is the care worker ill, does she have symptoms, or asymptomatic?

Don't think the article said.

In China they noted people testing positive a few months later but found it was dead cells in lungs not a new infection. As the test is only 75% sensitive the negative ones may be false negatives. Difficult to say.

I know people who have had positive antibodies a few weeks after having covid, then testing negative 6weeks later

Has anyone read this/ the underlying study? Thoughts?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/12/immunity-to-covid-19-could-be-lost-in-months-uk-study-suggests?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

My mum had coronavirus in April. She tested positive for antibodies last week. She will be having further tests in a few weeks time to see if the immunity lasts.

My friend tested positive for covid but all her antibody tests have come back negative, and she defo had Covid- all the symptoms and the positive test.

Shout out to memory cells

ScribblyGum - loved that explanation.

Difficult to know if the positive-negative-positive tests you hear about are reliable results. We do know that no one has been ill / hospitalised from more than one infection. If it behaves like other coronaviruses then immunity is likely to remain for some time- and when reinfected even years later you should have immune memory so will likely get a milder illness.

If it behaves like other coronaviruses then immunity is likely to remain for some time- and when reinfected even years later you should have immune memory so will likely get a milder illness
This↗️
What knobchops said.... that is my understanding of the likely situation, and my strategy (in light of this) is still going to be to avoid catching it for as long as possible

Interested in this

I don't think speculation is helpful. Its such a new virus. I would hope that subsequent infections might be less harmful. However there isn't much we can do about it. At the beginning of the pandemic we were told that up to 80% of us might get it (anecdata) my strategy is to do my best to stay in the other 20%.

There are people on the 1 in 20 fb group who have tested positive again later. And ones who have ben back in hospital with breathing difficulties where their oxygen goes down again.
I find it hard to believe we would catch it again straight away as some people would literally constantly have a cold. (There are about 4 existing coronaviruses).

But surely someone on Skye would be unlikely to catch it again suggesting false negatives or positives.

It could be we will see more women catch it again as we are more likely to have fewer antibodies.

What happens with the people who donate plasma do they make more antibodies.

I don't think speculation is helpful
I hear what you're saying but surely people are bound to speculate because this has significant consequences for everyone
Perhaps the best we can do is aim for 'informed speculation'?

An article in the local paper today suggests immunity may be short lived

www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/immunity-covid-19-only-last-4320494

Obviously still under investigation so this could change

AIUI this virus has enhanced ability to spread between humans and this is also linked to its ability colonise multiple types of tissue in the body.... this is why it can cause problems in organs other than the respiratory system

(this links into speculation about whether the virus was man-made... because it's unusual and surprising for a virus to jump species with a pre-existing ability to spread between humans and infect human tissues)

www.vox.com/2020/7/12/21321653/getting-covid-19-twice-reinfection-antibody-herd-immunity

EmMac7 Your Vox link is concerning, as the doctor say his patient was much more ill with the 2nd COVID infection:

"the trajectory of a moderate initial infection followed by a severe reinfection
suggests that this novel coronavirus might share some tendencies of other viruses such as dengue fever,
where you can suffer more severe illness each time you contract the disease."

I think that Vox article is a bit necessarily alarmist tbh. The idea that it would be worse the second time around is based on a sample size of one.

Yes, the enhanced effect may be specific to this individual. I’m more concerned that that appears to be a fairly ironclad example of a reinfection. I followed up the New Jersey cases referenced there in other media and they also appeared legit.

In truth, with the recent studies we’ve had come out that found neutralising antibodies wane after a few months this is not a huge surprise. Still depressing.

Immunity study on R4 by Kings suggests could be short lived in some people but varies.

Vaccine may be ok as uses uniform response and could be administered yearly

"short-lived" sounds less than 1 year. Vaccines every 4 months?

For some people yes not others. But the vaccine would use the longer immunity giving more uniform approach.

Tg, vaccine that often no great shakes.

Study only stage obviously

I.e. some people 3 to 4 months, others longer

Vaccine uses longer version