Reports of people coming down with COVID-19 twice, most recently a man in the U.S., are raising questions with scientists on immune responses to the virus and what the reinfections mean for the vaccines that are coming out for it.
One important factor that could affect vaccine development is that the U.S. patient acquired two different strains of the virus — and the second bout was far worse than the first. "Our findings signal that a previous infection may not necessarily protect against future infection," Dr. Mark Pandori, from the University of Nevada, told BBC.
Asia and Europe have also reported isolated reinfection cases, leading scientists to question whether immunity can actually be achieved after a coronavirus infection — and that leads to more questions about whether an effective vaccine is even possible.
“The demonstration that it is possible to be reinfected by SARS-CoV-2 may suggest that a COVID-19 vaccine may not be totally protective,” Brendan Wren, a professor of vaccinology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told Reuters.
Even so, Wren said he still doesn’t believe the reinfection cases should hinder the vaccine production.
SOURCES:
Reuters October 13, 2020
BBC October 13, 2020