The virus appears stable
Viruses have their pitfalls: A common problem is their strong and rapid change. For example with
influenza viruses , which mutate every season in such a way that the flu from last winter does not bring any immunity. The HI virus also changes extremely rapidly, making it almost impossible to develop a vaccine.
The good thing about the current corona virus? As far as we know, it appears to be relatively stable. Despite the worldwide spread over hundreds of thousands of people, only minimal changes in the Sars-CoV-2 virus have been detected so far. That gives hope because it would mean that a future vaccine could bring years or even lifelong immunity, similar to measles, whooping cough or rubella. But it also means that the new virus will be endemic and will continue to exist from now on.
Coronavirus: immunity after recovery?
A small study from China, which is not representative, but confirms previous assumptions, also makes us optimistic. There, four rhesus monkeys were tested for their immunity to the corona virus. The animals were infected with Sars-CoV-2 and reinfected four weeks after their recovery. The result: the monkeys were immune, no viruses could be detected again in their blood . Since the immunology of humans and rhesus monkeys are very similar, this scenario could also apply to humans. However, this theory is only a confirmation of the assumptions and has not yet been representatively confirmed.
According to the study, antibodies probably only protect for a few months
Another recently published study by Imperial College Londonwith the market research company Ipsos MORI tested 365,000 random people for antibodies. For this, they were sent home finger blood tests, which were carried out 12, 18 and 24 weeks after the first peak in the number of infections in March 2020. After three months, only 6 percent of the participants had antibodies, after 6 months it was only 4.4 percent. The scientists therefore assume that immunity is declining. However, the implementation of this study is problematic. The samples were not taken from the same person over and over again, but from different people over time. So it is possible that people with the corona virus, e.g. B. were underrepresented in the last measurement.
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Antibody formation after recovery from Covid-19
One thing is certain: after an illness with the corona virus , antibodies form. However, it is unclear how long these will last against Sars-CoV-2 and how much the immune reactions differ from person to person. The closely related Sars-CoV-1 virus, which broke out in the early 2000s, provides evidence of this. The antibodies formed by recovered people could still be detected after up to five years. This, too, fuels hope that years of immunity could form after recovering from Covid-19. It is also crucial that formerly infected people must continue to adhere to the hygiene and distance rules.
Is reinfection still possible?
States, cities and districts have reported more frequently that there were patients who were infected with the corona virus again. It is still unclear how a second infection with the corona virus could come about. On the one hand, experts assume that the virus can be detected in the body for longer after an infection has been overcome and that the corona tests react sensitively or to the dead virus particles.
On the other hand, however, it may be possible that antibodies only stay in the body for a short time, so that reinfection occurs more quickly. Researchers had not been able to detect any antibodies in the blood of some patients with mild courses after three to seven weeks. The antibodies could allow the virus access to other cells in the event of a renewed infection or activate the cells in such a way that there is an increased inflammatory reaction and thus a more severe course of the disease.
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