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Home » COVID-19 Is Not Over Yet

COVID-19 Is Not Over Yet

July 10, 2022 By Deborah

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What we know about SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID, is that it is here to stay. Information is continuing to evolve and research is still on going as new discoveries are being made. What we DO know is that COVID-19  is not over yet. It is still prevalent in many cities, states and countries and the United States remains stuck at an uncomfortable high plateau of pandemic pain and misery while new variants are driving a case surge in Europe.

We used to think that once you were infected and recovered from the virus your odds of dying were very low and both prior infection and immunization showed an even more protective effect against severe disease in certain populations. Age, underlying comorbidities and gender were the main risk factors for illness severity and reinfection. That was based on surveillance information from January 2020 through May 2021. Things have clearly changed.

Last year we thought that reinfections were relatively rare. Now we are seeing people infected 2, 3 or even 4 times after being fully vaccinated and boosted! What gives???

We have to remember that the virus strain that’s circulating now is very different then earlier strains. If we have been infected with COVID-19 or vaccinated, our body creates an immune response and mounts antibodies against future infections. It recognizes the strain that our body was originally in contact with. But as the virus changes as it has with Omicron, it becomes a fuzzier picture for our immune system to recognize the virus and we get re-infected. Omicron by far has been the Hercules of all variants in that it continues to shape-shift into other versions of itself making it more difficult for our antibodies, B cells and T cells to recognize and shut down a growing infection before the next subvariant arrives. What this means is that Omicron infection may have boosted our immunity against earlier variants, but it is less effective against itself and its subvariants (B.1.1.529, BA.4, BA.5, BA.1, BA2, BA.3, BA.2.H78Y). This poor immunogenicity against itself explains the resurgence of reinfections.

The BA.5 and BA.4 subvariants of Omicron account for 70% of all infections in the U.S. “It is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen” according to Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research. He states that it takes “immune escape” to the next level which enhances transmissibility beyond earlier versions of Omicron. Fortunately due to the immunity build up from the winter omicron wave, there has not been a significant increase in hospitalizations or deaths. The BA.5 is different in its biology in that it is able to evade the body’s immune system and go unrecognized by our T-cells.

According to a cohort study in Estonia this year, findings show that an increased risk of death from SARS-CoV-2 is not limited to the acute illness: SARS-CoV-2 infection carries a substantially increased mortality in the following 12 months. This occurs primarily in older people and is driven by a broad array of causes of death. The more times a person gets infected, the higher the risk of long term illnesses effecting the heart and lungs.
Every time our body’s defenses are engaged, it extracts a lot of energy and causes tissue damage. And if our immune system does not have time to heal and repair the damage, then it has less of a chance to help fight the next infection or any other stressor that comes along.  Long-term consequences with repeat infections with the virus can lead to a higher likelihood of long-haul COVID than those who have had it just once.
In the meantime…lets continue the familiar mitigation measures: high quality N95 masks when going out in public, stay home and get tested if you feel ill, better air filtration and ventilation http://Air cleaners and COVID-19, avoid exposure in crowded indoor places. COVID-19 is not over yet.
Currently there is a bivalent or two-component vaccine, with old and new Omicron variants as the target. We hope next generation vaccines are more comprehensive in protection and more durable (longer lasting) that can dampen transmission.

The answers are more than alittle murky. Stay tuned…as we wait for more studies and more clear guidance.

References:  http://Variants Dampen Immune Protection

http://SARS CoV-2 Reinfection

http://Long Term Mortality Following SARS CoV-2 Infection

 

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A Little About Me

Debbie is a board certified family nurse practitioner with an emphasis on women's health. During the past 22 years she has worked in women's health and family practice with a focus on the integration of conventional and alternative therapies.

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