Question on immunity when we open again
 

OK, so we ddid social distancing and masks, hand washing and disinfecting everything for Covid 19!

So have we now lost immunity to many other illnesses since we have been exposed to so little over the last 60 days or so. We may have escaped Covid 19 but will the seasonal flu and simple cold now do us in.

Just curious, haven't heard any of the experts address this question, is it even an issue?

I watched an interview with a doctor who questioned exactly that. Another potential case of the cure being worse than the sickness. Staying inside, staying away from people, excessive hand washing, it all contributes to a weaker immune system to all disease. So there are going to be a lot of pasty white people sneezing their asses off when they emerge from their lockdown.:)

I've been going out everyday to check on my properties and doing work. The ones that are going to have problems are those whose parents coddled them and sheltered them. Keep them out of the sun, eat only natural foods, drink only bottled water, no peanuts or gluten... Better living through chemistry!

I would just like a straight answer on whether or not you'd now be immune if you've had Covid 19. I'm fairly certain I had it few weeks ago. Tested twice, both times negative, throat swab. But what I had was too weird to ignore. Going for blood work (antibody test) in two weeks.

This is the key point^^ and, as yet, there is no reliable data to provide an answer. The main sticking point is that this is a novel coronavirus which is behaving in ways that other coronaviri have not, so to assume degree of immunity and its duration, based on other coronaviri, is risky. That's why every doctor asked the question hedges their response.

The virus has not been around long enough to determine immunity status for those with previous infections. It has not been around long enough for doctors to determine what level of antibodies is necessary to provide immunity, and to what degree of illness must one have had to develop that level. Certainly, the virus has not been around long enough to have any idea of how long any immunity would last within an individual. Let's not even talk about mutations of the current strain and their effect on immunity.

At this time, if I were to test positive for antibodies, I would not change one thing in my current behavior of cleaning, social distancing, and use of protective gear.

Everything about the lockdowns is causing more harm than good. Domestic violence and suicide are way up, but as long as people aren't dying of coronavirus, that's supposed to be okay.

If they go off the deep end during the house arrest and kill their spouse, isn't the death of the spouse due to Corona Virus?

I don't think anyone has addressed this question because the section in bold above is not how immunity works.
Maybe sitting at home and drinking like mad has weakened our immune systems, but we are not losing immunities because of it.
(not a doctor, so someone please correct me if i'm wrong)

My understanding is that building and maintaining immunities is a constant process, and that the practice of sheltering in place will lead to a weaker immune system when people emerge.

Regarding immunity to CV, everyone speaks of immunity and a vaccine as the holy grail. Yet it’s not uncommon to get the flu every year, it’s not uncommon for the flu vaccine to be very ineffective, and yet nobody freaks out about the flu.

Nobody freaks out about the flu because it's nowhere near as contagious or as deadly as CV. But you still reschedule the brunch with your 95 year old grandparents when you're sick with the flu, right?

The reason the flu vaccine doesn't always work is because the virus mutates so fast.

You can't just build immunity to some new virus by being outside in the dirt. Your body had to encounter the virus and develop antibodies for it. The reason a vaccine is great is because the virus is dead, so you don't have to risk permanent lung damage that might occur from a corona virus infection. Your immune system simply sees the dead virus and makes antibodies that will fight off the live virus if you ever encounter it.

When you get a flu shot you can still get the flu but since your body has built up antibodies to the flu because of the shot, it will usually be much less severe. We saw that at the school where I work. Kids would come in complaining of a sore throat, joint pain, etc but not feel really sick and maybe have a light fever, maybe not. They would test positive for the flu but never get really sick, in bed, want to die. That's because the flu vaccine help build up their flu immunity. It did its job. In older people and the youngest, that's often the difference between surviving the flu or dying of it or one of it's complications.

The point wasn’t that being inside has anything to do with immunity to CV. The point is that people who have been holed up inside are far more likely to contract things like the common cold or have allergy issues because their immune system is repressed. Though you certainly won’t build herd immunity to CV by hiding inside. As for the flu vaccine, I’ve read that on a good year the vaccine might cover 50% of the active flu strains, because the flu has many forms and also mutates regularly.

I think the OP might best be served by asking his or her own doctor. That is almost always best when seeking answers to such questions.

I found post #5 salient.

I think there are and will continue to be all kinds of wild claims about the Covid-19 disease, mitigation steps, potentially safe and effective therapies and possible vaccines and so on all over social media platforms like these forums.

Some will be based on facts and some will not. And folks will decide on their own what to believe and what not to believe, whether based on facts or not.

To me that is just human nature-- it existed since humans could communicate with one another. Think that the widespread use of social media platforms is just a natural extension of what humans have been doing for centuries when it comes to this type of communication.

no clear general answer

immunity can be complete or partial, and the time it lasts depends on the specific disease (among other things)

No answer on immunity.

However to GG's question. My BIL is an MD. His high school friend has been super sick for 4 weeks.

Had three NEGATIVE tests and now has a positive.

Summary: our testing is not very good.

I've read that false positives and false negatives happen as much as 30% of the time. But then, I read it on the Internet, so take it with a grain of disinfectant.

My dad tested positive March 27th. Didn’t have much in the way of symptoms. Board of health said he was clear to do as he pleased 14 days later. Had a nagging cough a few weeks ago. Tested again May 6th. Positive again.

I have been out side doing work in the barn, or in the sun every day. There has only been 2 days that I have stayed indoors all day in the last 7 weeks of being laid off. I have gone to our local stores when needed, and even made a few deals for items on FB marketplace without ever wearing a mask.

I have a new pace maker, and have been getting maintenance doses of chemotherapy for the last 2 years, so compromised is a given, but refuse to run scared, and have been healthier this year than most. I usually have dirty hands on my farm.

I don't personally know anyone effected here in small town Merica.

This same phenomenon has been reported several times around the world, as well as here in the US. It brings up the question: Is the testing faulty or is reinfection happening? Either could be true at this juncture. It simply underlines how little is known, with certainty, about this virus.

Of course most here know there are basically two families of "tests." The diagnostic test family looks for virus and the antibody test family looks for antibodies that result from infection.

The FDA regulates tests and makes sure the US CFR requirements are in place with respect to all aspects of the tests... the development processes, manufacturing, marketing, and even their proper use.

Test products are either approved or authorized for emergency use by FDA.

By law, test sensitivity is a matter of public record, so anybody can get this information. And of course that information is based on the tests being used in accordance with their labeling (also known as instructions).

So if folks are interested in the sensitivity for a particular test product, they can easily find out. And I am pretty sure that folks that are tested can find out what test product is being used.

I'm beginning to wonder if we are somehow not dealing with only one virus. Or I should say we may be dealing with a virus that somehow fundementally mutates faster than our testing can keep up with. This would also account for the wide variance in symptomatology, degree of debilitation, recovery times, etc. in addition to the false tests both positive and negative, the so-called dormancies and reemergences and variable periods of incubation. All of which have been all over the place.

Is it even possible? Maybe it's just me but this is sounding very unnatural.

There virus is being pretty aggressively monitored for mutations, not seeing that.

From the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Tuesday:

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/05/12/rand_paul_vs_fauci_you_are_not_the_end_all_we_can_ listen_to_your_advice_but_you_dont_get_to_decide.h tml

Senator Rand Paul is also a medical doctor who contracted the virus ... and lived through it w/o symptoms.

Fauci really had to break out the weasel words to find a way to say, well, we don't know everything about this virus so... we will need a few years to say clearly anything about immunity.

But Fauci did agree that survivors of coronavirus have some form of immunity. --Capt Obvious stuff, if you ask me. Still the disinformation abounds.

I'm no doctor but I don't see how the immunities that we've acquired over our lifetimes could be nullified in the space of 60 days.

This.

I do remember as a kid having to get a second small pox vaccination even though I still have the scar on my arm from the first one. The second vaccination did nothing to me, except make me bleed at the site where they scratched my arm.

I had mumps as a kid, measles, and lots of vaccinations. All the kids in school lined up to get a sugar cube for polio. That was a treat!

The worst was having chicken pox as a kid makes me likely to get shingles as a geezer. I have had the shot to help prevent that. I get the pneumonia vaccination and a flu shot every year.

I grew up in the leave it to beaver era, and ate many meals with hands dirtier than mom would have approved of. She would ask if we washed out hands, and we always figured that meant when we took a bath that morning. ;)

There are actually two shots for the latest shingles vaccine. One, then another few weeks/months later as a booster.

Yea, I had the single shot version only. My next doctors visit they are supposed to give the the step one of the two part shingles vaccine.

^^ Yep.

No Doc here either but we know that immunity antibodies from a typical seasonal virus typically last 1-3 years. There are also different layers of immunity. Innate immunity doesn't depend on exposure to others and can be maximized through eating right, daily exercise, hydration, sun exposure (vitamin D), and getting plenty of sleep.

Still plenty of uncertainty regarding Covid-19 immunity after exposure.

I've heard it from a medical professional also. Basically said you might as well flip a coin, the tests are so bad.

Of course, the other side to the efficacy coin is: Specificity.

it mutates - all viruses are highly mutable rel. to larger organisms

but this virus has a rel. low mutation rate

there are however two strains extant -- one is sometimes called the European strain, and is populating the US E. coast

but no, not faster than our testing can keep up with

Same here, in fact I got the initial shingles vaccine when I turned 60 but had a break out anyway, wasn't too bad but not at all fun. Last year I upgraded to the newer 2 step vaccine. The 2 shot is s'posed to be far more efficacious.