Not that I am happy about this, but apparently having the virus does not make EVERYONE immune.
This could be a game changer on a couple of levels, including the efficacy of a potential vaccine.
“Once you have the infection, it could remain dormant with minimal symptoms,” New York University microbiology and pathology professor Philip Tierno Jr. told Reuters. “And then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs.”
Actually, this is to be expected. About 15% of the population has a weak response to vaccines as well.
That’s one of the reasons the anti-vaxers are selfish bastards. They risk passing diseases on to those who don’t get adequate protection from a vaccine.
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…”this is to be expected”…
Was it though? Most of what I have seen, and you have been the most prolific and trust-worthy source, is that once you have it, you are immune to it. No mention of the “15%” before today.
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I guess I should have been more clear.
Those who show a strong result to serology testing are immune.
Those who remain infected after recovery will show a weak serology result. You can still separate those who are safe to return to work and help others based on serology.
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Thanks for the clarification.
And I think most of us are in agreement concerning the necessity of effective serology testing. That does bring back a question I asked previously and I don’t know if there was ever a clear response. If serology proves immunity, can an individual still be a carrier of the disease? And what kind of potential transmittal issues are there?
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While 15% seems high there is no question it’s a matter of degree based on the effectiveness of an individual’s immune system. Antibodies developed by those infected for SARS viruses in general have an “effective” memory life of 2/3 years.
There is also the complicating fact that these viruses are mutating (albeit, thank goodness, at a very slow pace) which can provide a slightly different profile to even an “immune” immune system.
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Is this reinfection phenomenon the same for seasonal flu?
So far it seems that COVID 19 is much more serious than the annual flu. The annual toll for the seasonal flu varies from 12-61K. That is annual. This virus has killed 15K in 2 months. And those are just the deaths that have a positive test result. Dead folks are not tested because of the shortage of reliable tests.
Plus we don’t run out of ventilators every year.
When we get a vaccine for COVID 19, I think the response rate should be pretty good. It will be a specific vaccine for a specific virus. The annual flu shot is based on the “best guess approach” as to which strains are likely to be the culprit in a given year.
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You will see a similar pattern in other diseases.
About 15% of those who get the measles vaccine do not get a protective level of antibodies. That is why we need everyone to get vaccinated, so that herd immunity protect those who do not develop immunity themselves.
The same virus that gives us chicken pox as kids can come back to torture us later in life as our immune systems weaken as shingles.
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Yes, and those over 60 should get the shingles shot.
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I thought it was 50 for that one?
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Shingles. Been there, done that. However now there is a highly effective regime of two shots with a very good efficacy rate of over 90%.
No question in my mind that anti-vaxxers are a problem.
Idaho is having a similar problem right now with the anti-government types who refuse to social distance. Right now that state has a higher per capita infection rate than CA. And there healthcare workers are seriously worried. The number of facilities is limited compared to other states.
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Idaho legislature has been too busy passing anti-LGTBQ+ legislation to be concerned with social distancing and virus containment.
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