Over the course of the summer, coronavirus has taken over the world. It has overtaken the news, social media, but most importantly, the minds of people across the globe. One of the things that has been worrying immunologists non-stop though, is can you catch coronavirus twice? And if you can, how severe is the second infection? This was a major worry for multiple reasons - if you could catch a severe case of coronavirus more than once, then it could spell major trouble for hospitals and countries who are currently past the first peak. But in the last week, a report originating in Hong Kong has shown that catching coronavirus twice is possible, but the second infection is much, much less severe.
Despite what it sounds like, this is actually good news. The report detailed a specific case where a man was tested positive for COVID, stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks, beat the virus, and went home. He then went to Spain for a holiday and stayed there for a while. He came back in August and had to get tested when he was entering the country. He tested positive again. You may be asking, how did he not realise he had a potentially fatal illness? Well, that is why this piece of information is so so important for immunologists and developments about the effects of COVID-19. If he didn't present any symptoms the second time around, his body recognised the virus and shut it down before he could experience any severe symptoms, and this exact piece of information presents something that could prove to be the tipping point in the battle against coronavirus.
In order to show you how, let's look at the flu. When you catch the seasonal flu, you would get the virus, potentially exhibit some mild symptoms, but in the end, you would beat it and push past it. This is made possible though, by a yearly flu shot. Each year, a new vaccine is developed for seasonal flu, with each vaccine protecting against a new version of the flu. This means that you have the virus, but do not experience any symptoms. Now I have explained how vaccines work in a previous blog (link is here) and so you may be asking, why do we need a new vaccine each year - aren't vaccines meant to protect you from the virus potentially forever?
Viruses, out of all forms of microbes, are the most unstable. This means that they mutate, and change, very frequently. Due to these viral mutations in their genetic coding (the DNA/RNA), if you are innoculated against 2018's flu, since the virus mutates, you may not be fully protected against 2019's flu; you may have seen this yourself. As this particular study shows, it is possible for your body to develop antibodies against coronavirus after you are infected once. But even though this sounds good, these antibodies may not protect you for long. This is why the best long term solution, at least in my opinion, is finding a vaccine, developing it, and spreading it across the population as fast as possible. This provides a solid baseline, with as many people in the population not suffering from the symptoms. This means that the people infected, though they carry the virus, they will a) transmit it to fewer people, and b) not strain the emergency services. Once this has happened, the scientists can work on yearly shots to supplement the original vaccine, and keep you protected.
In conclusion, catching coronavirus twice may not be that much of a problem. When you catch coronavirus twice, you do not experience the full extent of the symptoms. This means that you cannot spread it as far, you do not stress the hospitals and doctors, you do not stress your body out. But having a vaccine speeds along the whole process, skipping the part when you suffer with COVID-19 the first time around. If the world's scientists can find a vaccine, then we will be so close to beating coronavirus. We will be so close to finding a way out of this endless maze of lockdowns, social distancing and travelling restrictions. Either way, it will take time to beat coronavirus and we need to be patient and stay safe. With the number of cases creeping up pretty fast around the world once more, we may soon be facing a second global wave of COVID-19.
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