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Post by dirtdiva on Nov 15, 2020 14:39:01 GMT -6
(*****Notation Founded in 1874, Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the teaching hospital for students at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The medical center’s specialties include cancer treatment, behavioral health services, and obstetrics and gynecology. It is a Nationally ranked hospital and one of the top in the Tennessee region*****) How long can you be immune to COVID? A Vanderbilt study is exploring that.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Like so many that have already battled COVID-19, Tracy Waller thought, nearly three months after her diagnosis, she was in the clear. "I think I did walk around feeling a little bit invincible - like I’ve already had this," said Waller. That is, until a few weeks ago. "The telltale sign is to wake up and not have any sense of taste or smell, and so once again I really was a little bit stunned, but I thought, 'this is classic COVID symptoms,'" said Waller. A test confirmed she tested positive, yet again, for COVID-19. "I’m still in quarantine and I should be finished early next week," she said. We asked infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner about the potential to get COVID-19 more than once. "Can people get infected twice? Is this just an odd event or will this occur more frequently," we asked. "Chris -- we don’t know the answers to all of those yet. It will take some time, but I will tell you, a lot of people are trying to find out," said Dr. Schaffner. One of those people trying to figure it out is Dr. Natasha Halasa, Professor of Pediatric Infections at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Because it’s new, we don’t know the long term of how long someone has immunity for -- we don’t know what kind of immune response they have," said Dr. Halasa. Halasa is leading a VUMC study tracking more than 700 patients of all ages that either had COVID, have it now or may in the future. "When it’s safe, our team actually goes to their homes," she said. They periodically draw blood samples for comparisons and hope to be able to eventually answer questions like -- why children seem to far better against the virus than adults and how long does immunity last? "This can be helpful also to understand if you’re going to make a vaccine -- is the vaccine going to be a short term protection or a long term protection," explained Dr. Halasa. Tracy hopes to be a part of that solution. She's one of the hundreds that have committed to the study. She hopes one day we'll all have a clearer picture. "It’s something I feel like everyone should be willing to do for the greater good," said Waller. Halasa's study is partially funded by community donations. www.newschannel5.com/news/how-long-can-you-be-immune-to-covid-a-vanderbilt-study-is-exploring-that
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Post by drhenley on Nov 15, 2020 17:15:21 GMT -6
Can you catch a cold twice? Can you catch the flu twice? Of course!
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Post by dirtdiva on Nov 15, 2020 17:26:31 GMT -6
I think the premise they are going on right now is that you retain immunity for 8 to 14 weeks after having Covid. I personally have no idea how accurate that is or even if I would trust that information. My granddaughter was diagnosed with Covid a month ago. Recovered and went back to school and work. She was exposed again a second time and forced by the University to take another test which came back positive again because the antibodies are still in her system. She was allowed to go back to work at the hospital which follows CDC guidelines. ( She is a nursing student) But the University will not allow her back in the dorms because they follow health dept guidelines which are different than CDC. She can continue her classes online but can't stay in the dorm. She is staying with her other grandmother for the time being since her parents and younger sibling now have an active case of Covid. What a s*#t show this all is
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Post by billmasen on Nov 16, 2020 2:50:38 GMT -6
Yes you can get it twice we have multiple cases of reinfection in the UK of Covid 19.
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Post by JIM on Nov 17, 2020 7:48:28 GMT -6
the doctor that was my mom's primary doctor, pointed something during a doc visit. there's all sorts of germs and. Diseases in the air.in which it's everywhere.that includes pneumonia.and anyone with a low immune system will most and likely to catch pneumonia if they spend to much time outside.that can happen time after time.
with that said.i believe the covid is the same way.
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Post by frostbite on Nov 18, 2020 14:32:53 GMT -6
If you can catch it twice what use is a vaccine?
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Post by billmasen on Nov 18, 2020 15:51:27 GMT -6
If you can catch it twice what use is a vaccine? To eventually build up your T cells so they will fend off future infections.
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Post by frostbite on Nov 18, 2020 20:05:29 GMT -6
Maybe I'm stupid, but I still don't understand. If you have recovered from covid, isn't that because your immune system has defeated the disease, and in the process developed antibodies to fight future infections of the same or very similar pathogen. Isn't that exactly how a vaccine works, buidling up your immune system's ability to fight that pathogen? If your immune system can't protect you from future attacks from a similar pathogen, how can a vaccine, which only serves to stimulate that same immune system, be any more effective?
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Post by drhenley on Nov 18, 2020 20:24:42 GMT -6
A lot of things about COVID-19 don't make sense.
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Post by frostbite on Nov 18, 2020 20:34:17 GMT -6
A lot of things about COVID-19 don't make sense. Especially the reaction from government and the sheep.
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Post by JIM on Nov 22, 2020 20:09:26 GMT -6
ok frostbite. let's look at it this way. for example. you get a flu shot, and I don't. we both go into the same restaurant to eat. in which 3 ppl just now coming down with the flu walks past us as their leaving. and one of them coughs in our direction. I'll most and likely will catch it. but as for you. it's a remote possibility you'll catch it. but yet the possibility is still there. simply because the flu shot isn't a 100% guarantee that you won't catch it. pretty much the same thing with the covid. you get it, and get over. your immune system built up antibodies for it. but yet. the antibodies only last for so long. then go away. now you can catch it again. and to top it off. there's who knows how many mutations of it out there. and I'm thinking each one needs a different antibody.
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Post by kelabar on Nov 22, 2020 23:37:21 GMT -6
How to explain it. This is simplified and possibly wrong but is how I understand it. When Covid-19 gets inside you (usually via the throat because there is a particular cell in your throat that it can bond with) it starts reproducing as fast as it can. Your body, rightfully, doesn't like this because if the virus keeps reproducing it will eventually overwhelm you and kill you. So your immune system starts producing little attack dogs called antibodies. These have one purpose, to attack the Covid-19 virus and kill it. If your body can produce Covid-19 antibodies quicker than the virus can reproduce then you live. After you recover your body will then contain antibodies against Covid-19. Any further Covid-19 is quickly killed before you even get sick because your body didn't have to take the time to produce the antibodies, they are in your body floating around and waiting. But they only last for a certain period of time. For some diseases the antibodies will be present in your body forever so once you have had that disease you are immune forever. However, the antibodies that kill some diseases fade away over time. One minor skin disease (can't think of the name ATM) produces antibodies that last for around 40 years. So if you get this disease at 20yo you might find you also get it at 60yo as well (and maybe 100yo if you are lucky). It differs for every disease. No one knows how long Covid-19 antibodies last yet because there hasn't been enough time to do a lot of trials. So you may be able to catch it again.
Mutation. Covid-19 has a certain shape. Think of it as a little sphere. On the outside of the sphere are sticky-outy bits. They can be all sorts of shapes and lengths. These form a pattern. In one place it may have a round rod poking out with a triangle next to it and then a square bump next to them. The antibodies mentioned above work by checking everything inside your body. If they find something with a rod/triangle/square pattern they attack it and kill it. Easy. But if the virus changes slightly, say the outside now has a triangle/rod/square pattern instead of rod/triangle/square pattern then the antibodies don't recognize it as Covid-19. It is still the same virus but the current antibodies won't attack it because it looks different on the outside. So your body has to produce new antibodies for this pattern of the virus and you get sick while the new antibodies are being produced.
So to avoid a disease the best way is to have antibodies in your body before you are exposed to a virus. Then when the virus gets inside you the little antibody attack dogs get straight down to killing it off. Very quick, very easy and you don't get sick. This is what vaccines do. They trick your body into producing antibodies before you are exposed to the virus. The vaccine does two things. It attacks you slightly (but not enough to make you really ill) so your immune system starts producing antibodies and it also has the rod/triangle/square pattern on it. When you get vaccinated there is often some fever or swelling. This is your immune system attacking the vaccine. Because the vaccine has the rod/triangle/square pattern on it your body produces antibodies that will attack this pattern. After a week or two your body has produced lots of antibodies which will recognize anything with a rod/triangle/square pattern on it. So now if Covid-19 gets inside you the antibodies from the vaccine will attack the Covid-19 virus because it has the same pattern as the vaccine. Because these antibodies are already there the virus gets killed very quickly, never gets a chance to multiply up and we don't get sick. Sneaky buggers aren't we!
The reason the flu vaccine is of only moderate use is because the flu virus changes it pattern every year. So a vaccine which would attack last years flu may help this year but only if the pattern on the new flu virus resembles the old virus pattern enough that the antibodies can recognize it as the same thing. If the antibodies don't realize that this is a flu that can make you sick because the pattern is too different they will ignore it.
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Post by drhenley on Nov 23, 2020 9:12:53 GMT -6
Good explanation!
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