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More and more people are being reinfected by the new coronavirus, and researchers are trying to find the cause.
The question “Do people have immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after being infected and, if so, for how long?”, Has become more prevalent now that scientists have discovered more and more cases of people infected with the coronavirus. twice. One woman even died after the second infection. Researchers are still trying to understand everything related to reinfection and its ramifications, digi24.ro reports.
How many people have been infected with the new coronavirus?
A budget that the Dutch news agency BNO News is working on has recorded 24 cases globally up to 16 October. The first confirmed case, a 33-year-old man from Hong Kong, was reported in August. Her test came back positive in March with mild symptoms of COVID-19 and she ran two more tests a few weeks later, which came back negative. Four and a half months after the first event, she returned positive, even though she had no symptoms.
The only person known to have died from reinfection was an 89-year-old woman from the Netherlands who was also undergoing chemotherapy for a rare form of white blood cell cancer.
How is a case of reinfection different from a case of prolonged illness?
To prove reinfection, scientists must isolate the microbial culprit each time, test the genetic fingerprint, and prove that each infection was caused by a different strain of SARS-CoV-2.
Is reinfection with a virus unusual?
Not at all. Only some viruses, such as the one that causes measles, give victims something that protects most of their life from a second infection. Common viruses that, like SARS-CoV-2, cause respiratory illness, such as colds and flu, are widely spread due to their ability to reinfect. A number of factors lead to the recurrence of the infection, including an insufficient immune system response, low immunity, and a mutation in the virus, to the point that people face the latest version for the first time.
What are the causes of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection?
It’s unclear, although the rate of mutations in the virus hasn’t been a big deal so far. There are indications that the infection produces some immunity for a while. In one study, a virus-infected monkey species appeared to be protected from reinfection when exposed to an identical strain in the early stages of recovery.
Numerous studies have concluded that humans produce antibodies up to 7 months after infection. However, it’s unclear whether their presence is sufficient to prevent reinfection, and research has also shown that antibody levels drop rapidly, especially in mild cases.
In most of the reinforcements recorded by BNO News, patients were initially asymptomatic or presented with mild symptoms. The shortest time between infections was 12 days. The average was 74 days, casting doubt on US President Donald Trump’s statement after falling ill with COVID-19 that he has been “immune” for at least four months.
What happens to the second infection?
In 10 of the 19 cases reported by BNO News for which full details were known, the second infection produced more intense symptoms than the first, and in five of them it caused serious illness. The researchers believe that one reason for this is that on the second occasion the patient was exposed to a higher or more virulent dose of the virus.
It is not known whether those infected can pass the virus to others. In the context of confirmed reinfections, a group of researchers recommends in the Lancet medical publication that those who had COVID-19 take the same preventative measures as everyone else.
What do reinfections say about the prospects for an effective vaccine?
In the reported reinfection case where the first case was known to be severe, the second was mild. One theory is that the immune system needs a tough challenge to properly prepare for the virus. A vaccine could provide that preparation and not necessarily produce antibodies. Several experimental vaccines against COVID-19 trigger the production of lesser known immune agents, T cells.
While the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection is the main goal, researchers say a vaccine that protects against disease or even serious illness would be very helpful.
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