Covid-19: What you need to know today

Scientists have discovered the solutions (or the start of solutions) to 2 necessary questions on Covid-19.

The first: why are males who contract the coronavirus illness at better danger than girls?

The reply — like many others the place Covid-19 is worried — lies within the immune response to the virus.

According to analysis by Akiko Iwasaki and others on the Yale School of Medicine, the male immune response is essentially constructed round cytokines and chemokines, each signalling proteins which can be a part of the physique’s immune response. The feminine response, the analysis, printed in Nature says, is pushed by T-cells, a significant (and stronger) element of the immune system. The analysis provides the primary believable reply on why the mortality fee amongst contaminated males, particularly these over the age of 60, is increased than that amongst contaminated girls. As an apart, these within the extra scientific points of Covid-19 would do nicely to comply with Iwasaki’s work — she is among the many clearest thinkers on many points of the illness.

The second query: can somebody cured of Covid-19 be re-infected?

There have been many false begins to this reply, together with some native ones, however in keeping with a paper printed on August 25 within the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the reply is sure.

The paper is predicated on analysis by medical doctors and scientists on the University of Hong Kong and speaks of a 33-year outdated man who recovered from Covid-19 in April, and was re-infected in August. The viral genome from the primary and the second infections had been sequenced, studied and, discovered to be genetically distinct. This wasn’t merely a residual an infection — it was a brand new one. Interestingly, the second time the person was contaminated, he remained asymptomatic, and his immune system kicked in, producing new antibodies.

HT reported the Hong Kong incident quickly after it occurred, however there’s a bigger (and a associated) studying within the two research for vaccine builders. The first examine (the one on gender variations) reveals that they must think about gender whereas growing vaccines to make sure that these are efficient throughout the inhabitants. The second examine reveals that being contaminated as soon as doesn’t at all times rule out a re-infection — extra analysis is required, however, typically, it nonetheless might in lots of circumstances. This isn’t essentially a blow for directors and well being care staff in areas hit laborious by Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus illness, who had been hoping that the excessive prevalence of the illness, as measured by antibody surveys, bestowed some stage of immunity on the inhabitants. That might nonetheless be the case — however it can’t be taken as a right. Typically, that is additionally one of many issues vaccines are examined for — not simply whether or not they can provoke an immune response in opposition to the illness, however whether or not they can forestall a re-infection.

The must reply questions resembling these is why vaccine growth normally takes years. The world well being and financial disaster brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that vaccine builders have tried to shorten the event cycle — one thing that might have a bearing on the efficacy of the vaccines or the size of the safety they provide (however that’s one other story).

Nature’s web site just lately printed a telling story (and graphic) on the extent to which the world is relying on the vaccines underneath growth. Based on knowledge from Airfinity, a analysis agency, the article stated nations have struck offers or introduced commitments for nearly 4.5 billion doses of vaccines from 9 vaccine builders. The UK, the article factors out, has dedicated to purchasing 340 million doses. Its inhabitants is rather less than 70 million. The US, the European Union, and Japan have additionally dedicated to purchasing sufficient to vaccinate each considered one of their residents a minimum of as soon as, in keeping with the article. India just lately arrange a committee to debate varied points of its vaccine technique, from funding and sourcing to storage and supply, however the world rush for vaccines solely highlights the necessity to finalise this quickly.