By Hal Brown (My blog)
Antibodies against the coronavirus fall as people recover from the disease, according to the findings of a major U.K. study, potentially dealing a blow to those pushing for so-called herd immunity.
The findings suggest that there may be a decline in the level of population immunity in the months following the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic, potentially dashing the hopes of those calling for a controversial herd immunity response strategy.
This news ought to give pause to Dr. Scott Atlas since, after all, unlike Trump he did go to medical school. Of course it won’t because this excuse for a physician has put his copy of the Hippocratic oath in the sycophantic shredder.
There’s more about this study here:
Dr. Claudia Hoyen, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at University Hospitals of Cleveland, thought the study was interesting and encouraging, since it suggests that at least where antibodies are concerned, this coronavirus acts like other coronaviruses. As with a cold, antibodies wane and people can get a cold more than once. Also as with a cold, people with robust immune systems, typically younger people, typically don't see as quick a drop in antibodies as with people with older immune systems.
This study is really like the first piece of the puzzle that actually gives us the indication that, yes, these antibodies don't seem to stick around for everybody," Hoyen said. "At least in this case, this virus is sort of acting like we can predict, which is a good thing because everything about this virus has been so off the wall." Hoyen said the study also "cements the fact that we're going to be in masks for a while."
"I know that we're all hoping that this is going to end soon, but I just don't think it will," she said.
"I think the sooner we resolve ourselves to the fact that this is what we have to do to get through this, we can accept it and move on. This data clearly shows that your antibodies go away. So just because you have had it once, doesn't make you' immune and it also means you can be contagious again."
Here's an article published back in June in The Conversation, notably before this results of this latest study was released.
Herd immunity does not protect the vulnerable
People who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, such as people over 65, have been urged to stay inside to avoid exposure. But full isolation in our society is impossible, so the greater the number of active cases, the greater the risk to these vulnerable people.
Even if the herd immunity threshold is reached by the population at large, a single infected person coming in contact with a vulnerable community can cause an outbreak. The coronavirus has devastated nursing homes, which will remain vulnerable until vaccines are available.
How to respond to a pandemic without a vaccine
Without a vaccine, we should not think of herd immunity as a light at the end of the tunnel. Getting there would result in many more needless deaths in the United States and would not protect the most vulnerable.
For now, testing and contact tracing, wearing masks, and social distancing remain the best ways to lessen the destruction of COVID-19 by flattening the curve to buy time to develop treatments and vaccines.
The poll:
I think Pence is the most likely to come down with Covid…
… but if my voodoo doll works Trump will have a relapse prior to Election Day.
Actually this is a dog chew toy from before the 2016 election. It came to me after literally traveling more than halfway around the world. It was made in China but friends brought it to Portland, Oregon when they visited from New Zealand. It has proved to be amazingly resilient to every attempt by my two Westies to tug it apart.