COVID-19 Q & A: What is innate immunity? What is the number of vaccine-related deaths?

Last week, MLive received many questions related to comparing innate immunity from previous coronavirus infections to vaccine-initiated immunity.

It’s too early to fully understand the different levels of immunity to the coronavirus, but the scientific community is slowly stitching puzzles together using a variety of clinical and real-world studies.

Dr. Liam Sullivan, a Grand Rapids infectious disease specialist at Spectrum Health, told MLive earlier this fall. “The question is how long that protection will last. I think it’s too early to say.”

Why do previously infected people need to be vaccinated? The oversimplified answer is this: while doing so offers few drawbacks, it can further enhance your protection against different coronavirus variants and prolong the duration of immunity.

Recent studies from Israel have suggested that innate immunity may be more protective against delta variants than double doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The study compared 16,125 Israelites vaccinated in January or February with 16,125 infected with SARS-CoV-2 in between, with a breakthrough from June 1st to August 14th. We examined the number of typical cases and reinfections.

However, immunity depends on the strain of coronavirus. In another Brazilian study, antibody efficacy was 6-fold weaker than the original SARS-CoV-2 strain compared to the P.1 strain, thus 25% to 61% of previously infected people had P. It turned out that it was easy to infect one strain.

Related: What is currently known about innate immunity to COVID

Therefore, immunization from older strains of coronavirus does not necessarily mean protection against new mutants, but vaccines appear to be more consistent in the treatment of mutants.

“Many people, and many doctors, assume that previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 immunizes against reinfection. Based on this logic, among those who have been previously exposed. Some people think that they don’t need to be vaccinated, or if they get vaccinated, they only need the first dose of the two-dose Physer / Modelna vaccine. ” Thomas McCaid, a biological anthropologist who was part of the team, said: Press release..

“Our study shows that prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 does not guarantee high levels of antibody, nor does it guarantee a strong antibody response to the first vaccination. Mild or absent. For people with symptomatic infections, the antibody response to vaccination is essentially the same as for people who have never been exposed before. “

Some readers have asked MLive if Michigan is close to herd immunity levels when combined with vaccinated and previously infected people. About a month ago, health officials estimated that about 68% of the state’s population had some protection against COVID-19.

How did they come up with it?

As of early September, 55.6% of all Missiganders had been vaccinated at least once, and an estimated 28% had previously been infected with the coronavirus, based on antibody test data. The University of Michigan School of Public Health has developed a model that combines the data and assumed that people are likely to be vaccinated as well, regardless of whether they were previously infected.

This estimate may have increased by mid-October, as new vaccinations are still scarce. Weekly vaccinations for the past two weeks have been the lowest since the first week of vaccinations became available in December 2020.

Health officials want the immunity rate to reach 80% to 90%, so Michigan as a community has reached the level of herd immunity to protect unvaccinated people. Not believed yet.

Below are some of the additional COVID-19 inquiries that MLive received last week. Many of the questions we received this week have already been answered in last week’s Q & A. You can find it here..

If you have any questions, [email protected].. Our public health team will answer and will probably cover it in the next story.

Q: Where can I get a COVID test? How much does it cost? Can uninsured people get tested for free?

The state has an online COVID-19 test finder- Available here -It allows you to put you in your place to see what options you have in your area. You can also call the COVID-19 hotline (888-535-6136) and press 2 to find the test site.

The cost of the test depends on the provider and whether the test gives quick results or you need to wait at least 24 hours. While using the online testfinder, there is a drop-down menu for you to specifically select a free location. It uses a grant to cover the cost of testing for those who do not provide insurance information.

However, when you sign up, make sure that there are no costs associated with the testing process. Some providers will show “free” because they don’t charge for the test, but they will charge for a simple virtual test before the test. Please check the cost before booking.

In addition, home testing is available at several pharmacy locations. It may be difficult to find due to high demand, Supply is expected to increase In the near future.

Q: How many days did you get infected with the coronavirus before the symptoms appeared?

According to the CDC, symptoms of COVID-19 can develop 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Therefore, symptomatic patients may have been exposed for up to 2 weeks before feeling sick, but the average was less than 1 week for the pre-delta variant and shorter for the delta variant.

Q: My son was vaccinated at the beginning of the pandemic and tested positive for coronavirus. Is his quarantine the same? How long have you been quarantined by others who were vaccinated and were near him the day before he was tested?

The CDC recommends a 10-day quarantine period for COVID-19. The clock starts on the day the symptoms appear or the day the sample is collected for the test (whichever comes first). This also applies to reinfections and vaccinated people.

If you are vaccinated and in close contact with a person with a positive test result, you do not need to be quarantined immediately for 10 days, but you should be tested 3-5 days after exposure and wear a mask. Is recommended. Up to 2 weeks indoors or until the test result is negative.

On the positive side, there are some studies showing that fully vaccinated people remove the virus from the system faster than unvaccinated people.

Q: Two hours after the booster shot, I got sick with diarrhea, nausea and chills. Is this a normal reaction?

The most common side effects after the second or third dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are nausea, chills, fever, malaise, headache, and muscle aches. These reactions may be a sign of bodybuilding protection against future infections. They can occur hours after a shot and usually last up to a few days.

Two hours is faster, but that’s not unusual. It’s possible that you’re already infected with something and the timing was accidental. But don’t worry, as long as your symptoms improve in a few days.

The CDC recommends contacting your healthcare provider if the side effects do not subside after a few days, or if the redness or tenderness of the injection shot worsens after 24 hours.

Q: I have been vaccinated with both COVID vaccines. Is there a risk of unknowingly infecting unvaccinated individuals with COVID if they come into contact with one of the variants but are asymptomatic?

Fully vaccinated people can be infected with the coronavirus and are more likely to be infected with the delta mutant than previous less infectious strains. It is also less likely to get infected in the first place than unvaccinated people.

With regard to asymptomatic spread, there is evidence that infected individuals can spread the coronavirus to others without showing any symptoms. Earlier this year, the CDC released an analysis that found that the viral load of people infected with the delta variant was similar between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Q: If the entire household gets sick, is the spreader the first symptom?

This simple answer is not always the case. Two people in a household can get sick one or two days apart and be exposed to the same cause. One could be infected early and develop symptoms at the longer end of the 2-14 day window of the CDC, and another could later become infected and develop symptoms at the shorter end. There is sex.

Delta variants also have a shorter incubation period, which means that the virus requires less time for symptoms to appear than previous strains.

Q: How many vaccinated people have died of COVID-19 in Michigan? What is the number of deaths from the vaccine and what percentage of all reported cases are vaccinated?

Between January 15th and September 28th, nearly 4.89 million people were fully vaccinated with COVID-19 in Michigan. In that population:

• 32,802 people tested positive for COVID-19, or 0.67%.
• 1,296 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. This is 0.027%.
• 488 people died of COVID-19, or 0.0010%.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated people had 488,965 cases, during which 13,279 were hospitalized and 5,545 died.

There are four deaths from the vaccine itself in the United States and none in Michigan. All of these are known as “thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome” and are due to a rare but severe blood clot associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Other cases have been reported among individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine days or weeks before death, The official cause of death is not related to the vaccine.. It is important to note that the public database known as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) contains reports of additional deaths after vaccination, but the data can be misleading.

Health authorities and VAERS themselves warm The database tends to be biased and does not provide an accurate picture of the side effects of the vaccine. Anyone can submit the report and VAERS will accept all reports without determining if the adverse effect was actually caused by the vaccine.

If you have any questions related to COVID-19 as this pandemic continues, please send them in honor of us. [email protected]..

Details of MLive:

Vaccine injury database VAERS is considered unreliable and “affected by bias”

Ann Arbor Releases 19-Page Legal Defense for City COVID Vaccine Mandate

Michigan State University agrees with COVID vaccine obligations, innate immunity, federal judge says

According to a report on October 11, the outbreak of COVID-19 in Michigan increased by 6% last week.