Dr. Dhruv Khullar's column on the evolution of SARS CoV-2

[BacktoCricaddict]

This is a long, but great read.  He explains everything in a way that I wish I could.  Below is an excerpt, but please read the entire article if you are interested in the evolution dynamics of viruses (especially this one) and how the battle between the virus and our immune system may play out.  Keep in mind these two points:

 

(1) As with all biological systems, there is nuance and uncertainty.  Our immune system is not a predictable machine, nor is the virus.  If you are looking for a quick, damn-sure answer, this is not going to give you that.  

(2) We talk a lot about antibodies, but often forget other tools that our immune system has at its disposal - things like killer T-cells that might actually be more important than antibodies for long-term protection.  In fact, that may be a big part of why the vaccines are doing so well at preventing serious illness - even though Delta evades antibodies, it cannot fight off the T-cell defenses.   

 

Excerpt:

The vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, similarly, appear to generate huge numbers of antibodies that work against sars-CoV-1 in those who have also been infected with covid-19. “These two viruses span a really large evolutionary distance,” Starr told me. “The fact that the same antibodies bind to both of them should give us some confidence.” With new coronavirus variants, we may see a partial decrease in immunity, but, “given the polyclonal response,” Starr said—the fact that vaccines generate not one type of antibody but many—“when one set of antibodies drops the rope, another will pick it up. I don’t think there will ever be a variant that completely escapes our immune systems. We’re never going to wipe the slate clean and be back to a totally naïve population. Over time, the infections we do get will be more likely to be mild or asymptomatic. Whether that process takes a year, five years, ten years, or longer, I don’t know.”

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Edited August 11, 2021 by BacktoCricaddict

[EnterTheVoid]

Thanks for sharing this. I'll take the time to read this. 

 

Such a refreshing breath of fresh air, away from the usual attention seeking nonsense peddled by ICF's Covidiots.