Is Long Term Immunity to COVID-19 Possible

This is a question many of us would prefer not to ask, because we fear we won’t like the answer. We turned to the vaccine alliance Gavi for advice. They say ‘long-term protection will depend on the ‘memory response’ developed by our immune systems’. So is long term immunity to COVID possible after we get vaccination. Or do we have to recover from the disease first?

How Durable Is Immunity from a Beta Coronavirus?

SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 is a member of the beta coronavirus family, and this includes influenza. Now the ‘flu, as we know has a habit of coming back again, and the vaccine is not entirely effective. However, scientists have found a ‘glimmer of hope’ in the MERS and SARS beta coronaviruses Gavi says. And this suggests long term immunity to COVID could be theoretically possible

You see, our bodies produce two controls mechanisms, T cells and B cells to fight an infection. B cells produce the antibodies, while T cells kill the viruses and the body cells they have infected. Now those cells are supposed to die off once the virus is gone, to stop a process that could become harmful. However, in the case of COVID-19, these are still present six to nine months after the infection.

Does This Mean Long Term Immunity to COVID-19 is Possible?

Unfortunately we are not there yet, but there is a glimmer of hope in our memory cells says Gavi. These are a pool of cells that remember past infections, and can redeploy our immunity if the same one returns again.

Now memory cells are incredibly powerful tools for our immune system under some circumstances. For example, memory B cells for smallpox persisted at least 60 years after vaccination. And the Spanish flu ones lasted at least 90 years after the 1918 pandemic.

However, that glimmer of hope is not a flash of light yet. We still have a lot to learn, but there are some promising signs. A follow-up study of past infections among UK health workers showed they were all either immune or asymptomatic. However, we are not there yet with vaccinations.