We have a lot to learn about COVID-19 immunity
Those kinds of statements are commonplace in daily media coverage, and even kitchen table conversations.Immunity, both individual and collective , is also essential if we hope to shift COVID-19 from being a devastating pandemic illness to a manageable endemic one.
We know too that people who have been infected with the virus develop antibodies that confer some immunity.That’s the subject of much debate. The answer seems to be, like many immunity-related questions, “it depends.” On the surface, immunity is a pretty simple concept. When you are exposed to a pathogen such a coronavirus, the immune system fights off the intruder with killer T-cells and B cells; it also produces antibodies that “remember” the germ and react quickly if it arises again. And the state of immunity in the world is also a complicated puzzle.
As noted, the debate about what provides the most robust immune response – infection or vaccination – is not settled. What we do know is that people who are vaccinated are less likely to suffer from severe illness and death. Hospital admissions, especially those in intensive care, are predominantly unvaccinated patients.
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