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Wits University vaccination professor Shabir Madhi said that some sections of the population may have developed immune cells.
FILE: A professional healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) monitors a patient in a shop dedicated to treating potential COVID-19 coronavirus patients at Tshwane District Hospital in Pretoria on July 10, 2020 Image: AFP
JOHANNESBURG – Experts are now turning their attention to the possibility that, given fewer than projected coronavirus infections, many South Africans may have been exposed to previous coronaviruses, thereby creating some immunity to COVID-19.
When epidemiologists first modeled their forecasts earlier this year, there were fears that people, especially those in densely populated spaces, were at increased risk of rapid infection. But the numbers continue to tell a different story.
Vaccination professor at Wits University, Shabir Madhi, said that some sections of the population may have developed immune cells, which offer a layer of protection against viral infections, including COVID-19.
In such cases, the body remembers past encounters with pathogens such as the coronavirus and is better armed to combat them.
While the research is ongoing, the first studies were published, including in the peer-reviewed online journal called Nature in Singapore to support how these so-called memory T cells work.
Madhi, who is also the director of the SAMRC’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Analysis (VIDA) Research Unit and is South Africa’s principal investigator on the COVID-19 vaccine trial, said that people in high-density areas they could have generated this immunity due to previous widespread exposure. the common cold coronaviruses.
“They have been exposed, they developed this key cellular immunity that helps them fight the severe effects of COVID-19,” he said.
Madhi believes that between 40 and 45% of the population had already contracted the virus.
“If there is a second wave, we will probably see another 15-20% infected, then it is reaching the threshold required for herd immunity. Then we will see seasonal outbreaks during the fall and winter, ”he said.
For a country whose rapidly rising infections sparked fears of a healthcare system collapse, South Africa’s COVID-19 mortality remained much lower, just over 1%.
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