A number of new studies on immune cells and Covid-19 are the latest misinterpretation of the studies on Covid-19 that is infecting social media lately, especially among political supporters of President Trump.
A casual Twitter study shows some initial studies through scientists researching the coronavirus, and the immune formula has been widely misunderstood. These social media posts claim that thanks to “T mobile immunity,” it will only take 10-20% of the population to catch fire with SARS-CoV-2 to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the disease will slowly prevent its spread. . According to some dangerously positive tweets, this means that the pandemic could end until October.
That sounds good, because who doesn’t need the Covid-19 pandemic to end? There’s just one problem: according to scientists, that’s not how it works at all. Far from preventing infection, T mobile immunity would possibly lead, at best, to a milder case of Covid-19 in individuals.
And when it comes to this disease, “less serious” can simply mean “not hospitalized. ” A recent test published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that some other people who tested positive for Covid-19, but had mild or even no symptoms, had myocarditis, an inflammation of the center that can lead to injury. severe or even pain. central attack. This shows that many risks from Covid-19 are still unknown.
Still, that doesn’t mean things are hopeless. To help keep things transparent, here is a summary of the clinical answers to your questions about how T cells work, what recent studies tell us, and what Covid-19 immunity might look like.
What are T cells?
Think of its structure as a besieged medieval castle. This castle protects itself through defense and attack: the innate immune formula and the adaptive immune formula. Just like a castle has built-in defenses, such as a moat, walls, and a drawbridge, its innate immune formula is the bulwark of its structure against bacteria. The skin, mucous membranes, acid in the abdomen and other things are designed to protect themselves from attacks from the outside. If attackers break through your castle, your adaptive immune formula acts as archers, spies, and knights opposed to the invaders. Possibly it would take a little longer to put on the armor, but once they fight they can use fatal precision. These are the B cells in their structure that produce antibodies and T cells.
T mobiles are hyperspecialized white blood mobiles, and every type of T mobile game is a direct function infection. Some T mobiles directly kill invading mobiles, while other T mobiles activate B mobiles and stimulate them to produce antibodies. Others become “reminiscent mobiles,” patrolling the frame for years after initial infection to prevent defeated viruses or bacteria from being reinfected. If those reminiscent mobiles meet an enemy from the past, an immune reaction is triggered. Some types of B mobiles can also be reminiscent mobiles and temporarily pump antibodies if an identified pathogen returns.
What is the connection between T cells and Covid-19 immunity?
SARS-CoV-2 is one of seven coronaviruses known to infect humans, 4 of which are nearly widespread and cause colds and other respiratory infections. “Most other people have been exposed [to the coronavirus] since early childhood,” says John Wherry, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
These formative years of infections lead to the creation of reminiscent T cells, and several recent articles have shown that reminiscent T cells of other coronaviruses recognize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Not very specific: To use an analogy, T cells can recognize that this is an enemy soldier in uniform, but tell what the soldier’s rank is or what his specialty is. Yet that’s enough to at least sound the alarm: at least 20 to 50% of other people who have not been exposed to Covid-19 possibly already have T cells that will turn on and protect themselves against the disease.
Does this mean that 20 to 50% of other people are already immune to Covid-19?
Some politicians, adding new Covid-19 task force member Scott Atlas, reportedly warned that due to cross immunity, the pandemic could have ended in October. Scientists disagree.
“No, right,” Wherry said.
That’s because a T mobile that detects the coronavirus does not mean that you will not possibly get sick. T mobiles are only activated when the virus is already replicating internally on a mobile, so through the time that cross-reactive reminiscent T mobiles are involved, you have already been infected. All that sounds the alarm is that your body’s immune formula is working more efficiently, which means you may end up with a less serious illness than you would have otherwise. Emphasize “can” because there is still a lot we don’t know.
“Even if our maximum positive speculations about the reminiscence of cross-reactive T cells turned out to be correct,” says Shane Crotty, immunologist at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology, “the maximum effect would probably not be a prevention of SARS Infections -CoV- 2. In contrast, reminiscence of cross-reactive T cells would decrease the severity of the disease, so that fewer people would fall seriously or die from COVID-19. “
How does all this relate to herd immunity?
Herd immunity means that once a safe percentage of other people in a population are immune to Covid-19, the disease prevents it from spreading in that population. Think of them as traffic attenuation devices – even if there is a green attenuation device in front of you, you may not be able to cross it if you keep passing red attenuation devices on the road. Researchers that to prevent the spread of Covid-19, around 70% of the population will have to be immune to the virus.
Recently, a concept emerged in social networks that suggests that the most affected spaces such as New York or Sweden have already reached the threshold of herd immunity. But that’s not how it works, Crotty says. “The corners of the Twitterverse began to add up to the 20% of the population (for example, in New York City) who had recovered from Covid-19, plus the 50% of Americans who have cross-reactive T cells, and we falsely conclude that we have now achieved herd immunity because 20% + 50% = 70%, ”he says, referring to some viral posts on social media that make the claim. “It’s just immunology. “
There are two tactics to discharge the herd immunity opposed to Covid-19: either 70% of the population becomes ill, or 70% of the population receives a vaccine that protects against Covid-19. Currently, more than 160 teams around the world are running to expand an anti-Covid-19 vaccine. No vaccine has yet been approved in the United States, however several companies, in addition to Moderna and Pfizer, are testing their vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials. Most experts hope that the first effective vaccine opposed to Covid- 19 is approved in 2021.
That said, a vaccine or even herbal herd immunity is not a quick fix. Just like you want to get a flu shot every year, Covid-19 may also require regular injections to stay protected. And just as public fitness experts are constantly on the lookout for a new and more damaging flu bureaucracy, so can coronaviruses.
So what are we going to do until 2021?
“If you need something that helps herd immunity, our public fitness practices will do it,” says Wherry. This includes continuous social distancing, the use of masks and the monitoring of spaces with the highest transmission of diseases. Keep washing your hands and while you do: get a flu shot. Experts warn that as we move into flu season, the double whammy of flu and coronavirus has the potential to increase the severity of both.
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I’m a fitness and science editor at Forbes. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a master’s in journalism and a master’s in public health, with a
I’m an associate editor for fitness and science at Forbes. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a master’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public health, specializing in infectious diseases. I was in the past at Johns Hopkins University, where I did a dual primary in writing and public aptitude. I have written articles for STAT, Vice, Science News, HealthNewsReview, and other publications. At Forbes, I look at every facet of fitness, from epidemics to biotech startups.