Coronavirus: to be Infected probably immune to Covid-19

Whether it is through regular hand washing and Social Distancing – most of the people try to protect themselves from infection with the novel Coronavirus.

Not all of this is achieved successfully, and so also the number of positively tested Corona cases in Germany continues to rise.

For those Affected and their environment, but also for researchers, experts and virologists, it is now particularly interesting to find out whether the Patients may have, after convalescence an immunity against the Virus.

According to the renowned Virologes Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten of the Charité hospital in Berlin, this probability is quite high – as he explains in the NDR Podcast around the topic of Corona.

Study shows immunity in monkeys

In a study, researchers of the four rhesus monkeys have been infected with the Virus Sars-CoV-2.

It was observed that three of the animals lost weight, and a pneumonia developed, the Virus was in the nose, the throat, the lungs and in the intestines of animals is undetectable.

In fact, the researchers noted in the study that the animals had shortly after infection, antibodies formed against the Virus – soon, the monkeys showed no symptoms.

Nevertheless, the results of the study should be viewed with caution. Christian Drosten noted in his Podcast with NDR: “monkeys are not humans in Detail. You need a clinical observation.”

A re-infection could not be demonstrated

All three monkeys could be seen after 28 days than fully cured, two further Tests for the Virus were negative.

Again, the researchers infected two of the monkeys with Sars-CoV-2 – then the Virus could not be samples in the stool and in the nose and throat demonstrated. A reproduction of the virus in tissue samples is not confirmed, therefore, the immunity of the monkeys could be confirmed.

Drosten keeps the study relevant and explains: “rhesus monkeys are so close related to the people, that the disease must run very similar, and that the immunity has also great Similarity.”

Despite the positive results of investigations in animals need it, according to Drosten informed clinical observations, to be able to a finished answer to the question of the immunity of supply.

So you could, for example, a study of a number of auskurierter Covid-19-patients with the same number of people who have not yet formed antibodies, observe and see which group how many again with the Virus.

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Antibodies are formed relatively quickly

At the Munich Schwabing hospital, the first Covid have been in the February-19-patients in Germany treated here already measurements to the immunity were performed.

Drosten explained in the Podcast that the results showed that the victims had already developed at the end of the first week of the antibody in the related Sars-1 virus, the patient developed only towards the end of the second week.

Drosten, added: “This is something that I surprised me both happy, because it suggests that the immunity is established here in this infection very quickly.”

Occupied the facts, why these antibodies were previously in the body of the patient form, does not yet exist. Hypotheses assert, however, that it could be that the novel Coronavirus replicate in the throat of the Antigen Stimulus, i.e. the stimulus due to the presence of a Virus, put so-before the wound in the lung.

Antibody tests are considered to be pointless

A Test that points to existing antibodies and, thus, infection with Covid could confirm 19, there are – according to Drosten, these are to be considered but with strong Doubt.

Antibodies are not able to so indicate on the presence of the Virus, reliable the Test are. Drosten white: “The Tests have show high rates of errors, that I’d almost advise it.”

Also Check, whether you get infected at all, such Tests are not suitable and completely useless. Finally, the studies have shown that antibodies to show at the end of the first week.

The Test tests for the presence of antibodies and not to a possible infection. Drosten, adds: “This means that we are for the first phase of the Disease blind.”

Source

• Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences: Reinfection could not occur in SARS-CoV-2 infected rhesus macaques, retrieved on 20.03.2020 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.13.990226v1.full.pdf

Antonia Hagedorn

*The article “Coronavirus: to be Infected probably immune to Covid-19” is published by FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.