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Original poster

How many times can you be exposed and not get it? Does being a exposed make your immune system stronger

50 replies

Autumngoldleaf · 25/09/2021 20:43

Dd had it, and we avoided it, now dd 2 has it with stronger symptoms but.. She is older and has been staying in her room more.

Will being exposed help shore up immune system or does it mean they vaccine working or we are just not catching it.

However I work on a site with lots of young people so I will get more and more exposure is it just a case of luck if I do or don't get it?

OP posts:
middleager · 25/09/2021 20:58

Watching with interest.

When DS2 caught Covid last year, none of us got it. Nobody was vaccinated.

When DS1 got it last week, he passed it to me, but DH still doesn't have it - so that's twice. We are both double vaxxed.

userperuser · 25/09/2021 21:07

I’ve lived with people who have had it and been in close contact with people who have tested positive on numerous occasions and never caught it, I’m either extremely lucky or naturally immune.

coconutmonkey · 25/09/2021 21:11

I work in a school and have been a close contact on numerous occasions. I've never caught it. My partner also works in a school and has never got it. Both unjabbed. We must have good immune systems or be rather lucky.

HungryHippo11 · 25/09/2021 21:14

@coconutmonkey remember that the advertising says 1 in 3 have no symptoms. You could have had it asymptomatically and now be immune. Not particularly lucky, a lot of people will be in the same boat.

MossyBottom · 25/09/2021 23:06

I'd love to know the answer to this OP. Does repeated low exposure give your immune system practice?

pineapplesorbett · 25/09/2021 23:19

I work in health care and have been in close contact with a lot of people with covid (patients and colleagues), in the beginning it was without ppe. I was one of the few people in my workplace who hadn't had it. I had my second vaccine in May. Then this week, despite not having contact with anyone with symptoms, I have covid 🤷‍♀️ Feeling pretty rough despite the vaccines so I'm very glad I had them.

CrunchyCarrot · 26/09/2021 08:27

@MossyBottom

I'd love to know the answer to this OP. Does repeated low exposure give your immune system practice?
Your immune system will recognise the virus if you've had it before - even asymptomatically. It will mount an immune response very quickly so you may never have any symptoms nor know you've encountered it again. This reinforces the immune response.
JS87 · 26/09/2021 09:14

I’m specifically interested to know whether if your antibodies mop up the virus before you get any symptoms and you don’t test positive is this enough to stimulate memory b and T cells or do you need a higher viral load to do that.

CrunchyCarrot · 26/09/2021 09:33

@JS87

I’m specifically interested to know whether if your antibodies mop up the virus before you get any symptoms and you don’t test positive is this enough to stimulate memory b and T cells or do you need a higher viral load to do that.
I've been doing this YouTube Immunology course, am up to lecture 6 now, but it's really fascinating. I am not sure I can answer that question yet! Here's the course if you or anyone is interested in learning more. It's very comprehensive and detailed:

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvcN5wYLffSpWo9isVhRc7uLBvJXPVwdE

Workinghardeveryday · 26/09/2021 09:39

My dd15 has sat next to a boy at school for 2 hours didn’t catch it before the holidays.

Her boyfriend who she is always with at school and after school tested positive and she didn’t! (I asked her if they had kissed and she said yes).

Out of her circle of friends last week 5 that I knyof tested positive and she didn’t.

It’s bizarre!

JS87 · 26/09/2021 09:39

Thanks! I do know a lot of immunology but feel I don’t know the answer to this question. I think it probably could do as the antibody coated virus will get take up by cells and broken down. Then it will probably be presented on the surface and will stimulate the memory cells. I guess it just depend on how much of it there is as to whether this acts as a booster.
I’d ideally like an asymptomatic delta infection when my child catches it to act as a booster to delta and future variants!

JS87 · 26/09/2021 09:40

I think I might test my antibody levels now and again after DC catches covid and see if it increases so I can answer my own question Grin

Lindy2 · 26/09/2021 10:25

I had Covid in January and I'm now double jabbed.

A little while ago I had very close contact with a child who turned out to have Covid.

A few days later I had a sore throat and a mild headache for a couple of days - the feeling you get when you're about to come down with a cold. My Covid tests were negative.

It did feel to me like my immune system was reacting (and thankfully winning). I also had the same feeling years ago when one of my DC had chicken pox. I'd already had it as a child.

I'd love to know how vaccinations work when a person is exposed enough to the illness so that they would normally have been infected. It would be nice to think I've just added a delta booster to my previous Kent variant antibodies. I'm also very relieved and reassured that I didn't catch it and my immunity from past infection and 2 AZ doses have worked very well.

MoreSpaghetti · 26/09/2021 10:44

Have been in close contact with people who have Covid in work and we’re on round two in our house with it, never caught it.
Either had it with no symptoms early on before testing, or very lucky.

CrunchyCarrot · 26/09/2021 10:47

I think I might test my antibody levels now and again after DC catches covid and see if it increases so I can answer my own question

Yep, that is probably a good plan! Grin

vodkaredbullgirl · 26/09/2021 10:51

Been in close contact with people who have had covid. Work in care and have avoided getting it, daily lft testing and pcr once a week. Still avoided it. There is only 3 of us who have not had it or had to isolate.

CrunchyCarrot · 26/09/2021 11:02

@JS87 Actually the burning question I'd love an answer to is how do some folks totally escape getting ill from SARS-COV-2 in the first place? Do they have some sort of cross-reacting immunity from another virus? Is it something to do with their MHC genes? What is it about their immune system that enabled them to shrug off the virus so easily/quickly? I'd love to know that!

Original poster
Autumngoldleaf · 26/09/2021 13:34

Im sure I had it last march just before lock down.

I'm lost tatse and smell, had gastric issues, felt suddenly over whelming tired I could barely get up the stairs.

However it didn't develop further, and I was part of a recent zoe study anti body test and now over a year later I have no antibodies.

I'm double jabbed and waiting to see if dc 2 infects me.
But she could infect dh and I get it from him.
I am doing daily latersl flows.

OP posts:
Original poster
Autumngoldleaf · 26/09/2021 13:35

When dd 2 caught it again I felt weepy, had runny watering eyes.. Some mild gastric issues... Maybe that was it?? Some people on here have mentioned tiles symptoms!

OP posts:
Allwillbefine · 26/09/2021 13:41

@Autumngoldleaf

When dd 2 caught it again I felt weepy, had runny watering eyes.. Some mild gastric issues... Maybe that was it?? Some people on here have mentioned tiles symptoms!
Quite likely. My son’s only symptoms when he had it were mild diarrhoea, a couple of stomach cramps, watery eyes and he felt a bit tired and fed up. I also had diarrhoea is my main symptom and it wasn’t at all like the raging diarrhoea you get with norovirus - it was very different.
jerometheturnipking · 26/09/2021 14:00

I wonder this too. I've worked in school throughout, DC have been attending and DH is in a public-facing role. None of us have ever had to isolate, or even have a PCR test. I've been doing twice-weekly Lateral Flow tests since that became a thing at work - all negative.

Original poster
Autumngoldleaf · 26/09/2021 14:05

@Allwillbefine

That's really interesting! I was doing daily lat flows and did a pcr after hers was confirmed +
I was also at work and didn't seem to pass it to anyone.

So if that's the case, maybe my immunity will be super strong agaisnt exposure from the dd 2?

OP posts:
Original poster
Autumngoldleaf · 26/09/2021 14:05

Stomach pains, felt like a stone in there, mild diorheha, eyes... Weepy...

OP posts:
Wonkydonkey44 · 26/09/2021 14:16

I'm double jabbed abs tested positive threww weeks ago .
Caught it from a colleague who I had 10-15 mins close contact with. I tested positive two days after her , she was unvaccinated and we were both pretty poorly.
Husband tested positive a week after me but was showing symptoms 5 days after i tested positive, he was pretty rough as well.
Clinically vulnerable daughter double jabbed didn't catch it and younger daughter ( to young for vaccinations) didn't catch it Confused

JS87 · 26/09/2021 17:15

[quote CrunchyCarrot]@JS87 Actually the burning question I'd love an answer to is how do some folks totally escape getting ill from SARS-COV-2 in the first place? Do they have some sort of cross-reacting immunity from another virus? Is it something to do with their MHC genes? What is it about their immune system that enabled them to shrug off the virus so easily/quickly? I'd love to know that![/quote]
Me too. I’ve read some papers where some people seem to have T cells from the common cold coronaviruses which cross reactive with sars2. I would guess that would probably depend on their mhc genes as to whether you have cross reactive t/ B cells. In other people it could just be very strong innate immunity which clears the virus quickly with no symptoms. It’s so interesting and makes me realise how little we really understand about infections and genetics.