It's complicated. My limited understanding (I'm not a medical dr/ I have cellular/ molecular training) follows this way of thinking:
- There are people who have innate immunity to this. This could be why a large percentage of the population are asymptomatic AND they don't develop antibodies. This is why most/ but not all children *seem* to be ok with this virus. Innate immunity is simply inherited from mostly genetics/ maternal immunity. In this scenario - no antibodies are produced (at least not to significant amounts) because the body doesn't need them to fight off the infection.
- However, there is a subset of the population who appear healthy and viable - but they have a severe reaction. This shows up in younger adults AND children.
- Either they have unknown underlying preconditions or
- They lack all components of whatever innate immunity others have.
- People who have severe reactions to the virus tend to develop significant antibodies - if they survive. This follows the classic Adaptive Immunity response:
- Your body is presented with a pathogen --> Various cells encounter it, and produce antibodies to it.
- In theory - if the body develops antibodies, it should be immune unless it mutates.
- Yes, the virus has mutated....but not in virulence that we've observed so far. The mutation makes it more infectious (European/ American strains) but not more virulent
- We don't know how long those antibodies will last, but serum transplants tend to help those in ICU when administered with sufficient time to save them.
3. There may be people with innate immunity, but pre-existing conditions complicate the response. This makes them more dependent upon adaptive immunity, but their system is already "broken" in a way. The elderly tend to fall into this category, as well as people with high levels of inflammation: diabetes, hypertension, etc.
4. Additionally.... there are many avenues of approach for this virus. While it primarily affects the respiratory system, it's more alarming with regard to it's vascular virulence: renal failure, stroke, blot clots, etc. These issues seem to arise in seemingly "healthy" people - which in my mind means, it's slipping past the innate immune response and causing problems completely different from the "traditional" respiratory illness. This may point to underlying causes we're unaware of.
5. The long term damage is a legit thing. This crap basically scars lungs and damages kidneys.
- Even more reason to get rid of that Angry Cheeto who sits in office.
- So, is there a chance your innate immunity fights it off, and they you get to go for round two? Perhaps.
- Should we dash all hope a vaccine will help? No.
- Should we take this as a fucking lesson, and prepare for the next pandemic? Abso-fucking-lutely.
- Should we all wear masks and social distance? Fuck yes.
I've known quite a few people who have gone through this. It isn't easy, but most of them report resting and doing breathing exercises daily. They describe it as "fighting" with their lungs, but if they don't, they fear pneumonia. And in Florida right now, ICUs are overwhelmed.
I've been hiding since March, because I don't feel lucky with my genetic lottery, and I'm scared as fuck at this stuff.
What pisses me off the most, is the angry cheeto trying to knee-cap the ACA right now. It's fucking disgusting.