Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Good News: Virus Immunity Appears To Last Long
MIT Technology Review: Covid-19 Immunity Likely Lasts For Years
Covid-19 patients who recovered from the disease still have robust immunity from the coronavirus eight months after infection, according to a new study. The result is an encouraging sign that the authors interpret to mean immunity to the virus probably lasts for many years, and it should alleviate fears that the covid-19 vaccine would require repeated booster shots to protect against the disease and finally get the pandemic under control. “There was a lot of concern originally that this virus might not induce much memory,” says Shane Crotty, a researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California and a coauthor of the new paper. “Instead, the immune memory looks quite good.” (Patel, 1/6)
CBS News: Moderna CEO Says COVID-19 Vaccine Protection May Last Years
Moderna's CEO said the company's new COVID-19 vaccine may prevent infection for years. While speaking at a virtual event by Oddo BHF, a financial service group, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said the once-believed "nightmare scenario" that the vaccine won't work is now out the window. "We believe there will be protection potentially for a couple of years," Bancel said. (O'Kane, 1/7)
The Washington Post: Post-Infection Coronavirus Immunity Usually Robust After 8 Months, Study Shows
The human body typically retains a robust immune response to the coronavirus for at least eight months after an infection, and potentially much longer, researchers said in a study published in the journal Science. About 90 percent of the patients studied showed lingering, stable immunity, the study found. ... The review of blood samples from nearly 200 patients also saw that multiple elements of the immune system — not just antibodies — continued to be effective at recognizing and responding to the virus. The human body appears to retain a memory of the invader and is poised to generate a coordinated counterattack of antibodies and killer T cells quickly if exposed again. (Achenbach, 1/7)
New York Post: COVID-19 Patients Still Immune Eight Months After Infection: Study
COVID-19 patients who have recovered still have significant immunity up to eight months after infection — a promising sign that there is lasting protection from the deadly illness, according to a new study. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Science, analyzed blood samples from 188 patients mostly from San Diego who had contracted the virus. “There was a lot of concern originally that this virus might not induce much memory. Instead, the immune memory looks quite good,” co-author Shane Crotty, a researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, told MIT Technology Review. (Salo, 1/7)
