tipsheet

COVID-19 Tipsheet: COVID Immunity and Antibodies

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:40:06 +0000

COVID-19 Tipsheet: COVID Immunity and Antibodies Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/17/2021 - 15:40

In This Story

Dr. Amira Roess is a professor of Global and Community Health at ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services. She is an epidemiologist with expertise in Coronaviruses and interventions to reduce the transmission and impact of infectious diseases. Roess provides some insight on immunity to COVID-19 and antibodies.

What do we know about immunity after being diagnosed with Covid?

We are still learning about this for COVID-19. What we typically observe with other viruses is that once a person mounts a robust immune response, about 2 or more weeks after infection, then that person may be considered immune from the virus and not able to infect others for at least some time. Immunity wanes, or disappears, fairly quickly for coronaviruses.

How long does immunity last? And does it prevent reinfection and spread?

Right now, we estimate that a person with a baseline robust immune system may be immune for 90 or more days. Recent studies suggest that individuals who had more severe COVID-19 illness have strong antibody responses for up to 7 months, and that individuals who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms may not have a strong immune response. The latter group may have a greater chance of getting reinfected and thus spreading the virus to others. We are still learning about the COVID-19 virus. Among individuals who have weakened immune systems or who are on immunosuppressive treatments, we expect variation in this. I mention this because we have a greater number of individuals who fit this now than in the previous decades.

Is an antibody test different than a COVID-19 test that detects the active virus?

Yes. The antibody test looks for evidence of previous infection and usually requires venous blood samples.

If someone tests positive within their 90 days of immunity is this a false positive? Or is the test detecting the antibodies?

It depends on what test was in use. It is possible that following infection virus particles (that may or may not be infectious) can still be detected for a few weeks following initial infection or diagnosis.

About ��AV

��AV is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit https://www2.gmu.edu/.

About the College of Health and Human Services

��AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Topics

coronavirus; covid-19

tipsheet

College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health

College of Health and Human Services

CHHS News

faculty spotlight

COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Double Masking and the COVID-19 Vaccines

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 17:11:14 +0000

COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Double Masking and the COVID-19 Vaccines Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/03/2021 - 12:11

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Dr. Amira Roess is a professor of Global and Community Health at ��AV’s College of Health and Human Services. She is an epidemiologist with expertise in Coronaviruses and interventions to reduce the transmission and impact of infectious diseases. Roess shares current information on the new variant of COVID-19, double masking, and vaccines.

How concerned should we be about the new variant?

Well, I think it’s really important to realize that we’re still really in the thick of things regarding the COVID pandemic. And so, we’re asking people to continue to wear masks, to continue to social distance. Because there is emerging evidence that there is a more virulent or more transmissible strain that is now in the US and that may become the dominant strain. While we wait to have more people get the vaccine it’s really important that we continue to wear masks and to practice social distancing.

Does wearing two masks help to combat COVID-19?

First, it’s really important that people wear masks. Wear one mask and make sure you’re wearing the right kind of mask. No bandanas, no neck gaiters and no masks that have valves. So first, make sure that you’re wearing at least one mask of good quality. And if you wear the mask it has to cover your nose and mouth. There is plenty of evidence to show that wearing masks is effective in protecting those around you and in also protecting yourself. And this is why the message has been and continues to be that we all need to wear masks to protect each other and yourself.

Now some populations may have a good reason to double mask, and you may notice that when you go to your doctor’s office or your dentist’s office that a lot of the workers there are wearing double masks. And this is common practice because they’re getting very close to individuals outside of their household – their patients. And so, in those situations it makes sense to wear the double mask. Wearing two good quality masks can provide an extra layer of protection and this is why those groups are wearing two masks. Now if you are going to a grocery store or a place where it’s difficult to social distance, you could consider wearing two masks for that added layer of protection. But it is important to realize that wearing one mask is critical, so at the very least do that.

If I get the vaccine how long do I have to wait to see my loved ones?

In this case, you are going to want to wait until you get the two doses of the vaccine – the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine. It may be the case that if you wait 2-3 weeks after the second dose that you’re likely to have that maximum effectiveness, that maximum protection from the vaccine. But keep in mind that you still should wear your mask and you should practice some social distancing when you visit your relatives, especially older relatives. Because while these vaccines are highly effective according to the data, there is still a chance that you could unknowingly transmit the virus, although that chance is very small.

Will more people be safe due to receiving the vaccine or will we reach heard immunity before a majority of the population is vaccinated?

What we know so far is that there seems to be some re-infection occurring. The literature suggests that anywhere between 6-8 months after an individual was naturally infected with this virus, they may be susceptible again. So, it will be difficult in the current circumstances to reach herd immunity because you will have individuals that could be susceptible again. It really will be important to remain vigilant, wear those masks, social distance, get the vaccine when it becomes available to you so that you can continue to operate in the safest way as possible.

About ��AV

��AV is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 37,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit https://www2.gmu.edu/.

About the College of Health and Human Services

��AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence and interprofessional practice. The College enrolls 1,917 undergraduate students and 950 graduate students in its nationally recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 12 graduate degrees, and 11 certificate programs. The College is transitioning to a college public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Topics

College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health

coronavirus; covid-19

tipsheet

faculty spotlight

CHHS News