Antibody tests, which check if a person has developed antibodies to a particular virus, suggesting exposure to it, have emerged as a key source of information about the COVID-19 pandemic. These tests have been especially useful in gathering data about how many have been infected with the virus.
While we’ve had COVID-19 antibody tests for months, we haven’t had a clear understanding of the role that antibodies actually play in fighting off the virus. But new research is starting to make sense of it all, TIME senior health writer Alice Park reports.
In one particularly large recent study, a team of researchers at the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute of the New York Blood Center and Rockefeller University analyzed plasma samples from 370 recovered COVID-19 patients. They found that about 88% of those patients developed varying levels of antibodies to fight the virus, but only about 10% had high enough levels to neutralize the lab-based version of the virus. Furthermore, about 17% showed little evidence of an antibody response.
The findings suggest that some people’s immune systems may rely heavily on antibodies to fight the virus that causes COVID-19, while others turn to different types of cells to fend it off. “It's not clear what that means yet—those people might have other ways of fighting the virus,” Park says. “But what is clear is that the body's immune response to COVID-19 is more complicated than scientists thought.”
On a practical level, the findings may complicate the idea that people who have been exposed to COVID-19 are guaranteed to develop a natural immunity to the virus, Dr. Larry Luchsinger, the lead author of the study, tells Park. That means people who receive a positive antibody test should not consider themselves protected from re-infection; more research needs to be done to figure out exactly what antibody levels mean for immunity. “We still don't know how well those antibodies can actually fight off the virus,” Park says.
More than 8.1 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 11 PM eastern time last night, and more than 443,000 people had died.
Here is every country with over 100,000 confirmed cases:
Beijing is re-imposing tight restrictions as it works to contain "explosive and concentrated” outbreaks tied to a wholesale food market. More than 60% of flights to the Chinese capital were canceled today, while the city is on its second-highest alert level. “This has truly rung an alarm bell for us,” said Beijing Communist Party secretary Cai Qi at a committee meeting today.
While global emissions levels initially fell as many cities went on lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, those levels are rising as businesses get up and running again, researchers say. By early April, global CO2 emissions were about 17% lower than they were during the same period last year, but by mid-June, they were within 5% of normal levels, according to a recent update to a study originally published in May in Nature Climate Change; the update includes data through June 11.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández announced on television yesterday that both he and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus. He told audiences that he is experiencing mild symptoms.
Don’t count on taking that Australian vacation any time soon: While the country lifted its lockdown last month, tourism minister Simon Birmingham told the Australian Financial Review today that it’s “sadly very unlikely that our health crisis is likely to facilitate an opening to international travel this year.”
Meanwhile, soccer fans have something to celebrate: The English Premier League returned today after more than three months on pause. For now, games will be played in stadiums without fans. “Support your club, stay safe, follow at home,” the league says.
The Situation in the U.S.
More than 2.1 million people in the U.S. had been infected with COVID-19 as of 11 PM eastern time yesterday, and more than 116,000 had died.
On June 16, there were 23,705 new cases and 836 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Florida, Texas and Arizona—states that were among the first to reopen—all saw new record highs for cases reported in a single day yesterday (Florida reported 2,783 new cases, Texas reported 2,622, and Arizona reported 2,392). The alarming data suggest those three states are shaping up as the next major virus hotspots in the U.S.
Still, leaders in those states have been largely reluctant to reinstate restrictions. “We’re not rolling back,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a news conference yesterday. That's despite stories like that of a group of 16 friends who all tested positive for the virus after a night out at a recently reopened Florida bar. "We want to raise awareness and get ahead of it," one of the friends, Kat Layton, told CNN’s Chris Cuomo about the group’s diagnoses. "We want to tell people it's really not ready for what we thought it was ready for, it's too soon."
At least some officials elsewhere are worried that the virus could be spreading at bars, clubs and other party venues. “When I see packed nightclubs, I’m deeply concerned,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told the Los Angeles Times. Cases are rising significantly throughout Arizona, as is the percentage of adult ICU beds in use.
In Texas, at least nine mayors, including those of Houston, Austin and Dallas, have written a letter to Governor Greg Abbott asking for the authority to mandate mask-wearing, particularly in “public venues where physical distancing cannot be practiced.” The request comes as Texas has reported record-breaking coronavirus hospitalization numbers for the fifth day in a row, according to the Texas Tribune.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of June 16, 11 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
McDonald's Workers Urge Company to Put People Above Profits
McDonald's shareholders are receiving nearly $1 billion in dividends as workers are fighting for personal protective equipment and paid time off to quarantine themselves if they get sick with COVID-19. The company is “putting profits ahead of the safety of Black and brown workers,” says Yamile Osoy, who works at a McDonald’s in Oakland and has tested positive for the virus; her 10-month-old baby has also tested positive. Read more here.
The Pandemic Is Upending the Lives of People With Disabilities—and Those of Their Caregivers
While many caregivers for people with disabilities have quit amid the pandemic, others have stuck around. But many are underpaid and some have trouble finding adequate protective equipment, Kaiser Health News reports. Read more here.
The Pandemic Shows Us the Genius of Supermarkets
Supermarkets, long besieged by online food delivery options and generally loathed by some shoppers, have emerged as a vital resource for communities looking to keep themselves fed and supplied during the pandemic. And for many Americans, grocery shopping is no longer just one of the many errands on our to-do list—”it’s the errand,” writes Bianca Bosker for The Atlantic. Read more here.
Close That Toilet Lid Before You Flush
A new study suggests that flushing the toilet can spread particles into the air, where they can linger long enough to be inhaled, the Washington Post reports—so make sure to close the lid before you flush. Read more here.
‘Fast-Tracking’ a Coronavirus Vaccine Sounds Great. It’s Not That Simple.
As companies race to develop a vaccine, experts urge caution, ProPublica reports. “It’s one thing to say, ‘I want to be fast,’ but on the other hand, if you’re fast and you’re wrong or you miss some things, imagine how that fuels concerns about having any type of vaccine at all,” says Dr. Tim Persons, chief scientist at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Read more here.
The Cape Cod Theory of Pandemic Response
Will the economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic look like Cape Cod during the winter—when the economy halts but is sure to resume the next summer—or is it more like Cape Cod during a summer with a sudden series of shark attacks, when fear and volatility take hold? Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Peter R. Orszag suggests it’s the latter. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.
Today's newsletter was written by Sanya Mansoor and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
沒有留言:
張貼留言