How long
does immunity last after a COVID infection? News reports of two
recent studies suggest that it wanes quickly and that some patients
may never have immunity at all. In this episode, we take a look at
those studies and explain why they don't exactly say what is being
said about them.
Jul 16, 2020
Take
home points
-
Not everyone keeps detectable IgG after asymptomatic or symptomatic infection
-
If you have asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, you are less likely to have detectable IgG at 8 weeks compared to someone who had symptoms
What
we still don't know
-
Does this drop or absence of IgG correlate to decreased immunity? The reflex answer would seem to be 'yes' but we still don't understand the COVID-19 correlates of protection (blood tests that can show whether or not someone has immunity).
-
The likelihood of those who have had COVID-19 getting reinfected. The studies discussed in this podcast evaluated parts of the immune system that are involved in immunity, but we haven’t answered the real question: what is the likelihood of having a repeat illness (or repeat asymptomatic infection).
Mentioned in this show
To Learn More About Stimulus: https://www.stimuluspodcast.com/