MOSCOW, January 14 - PRIME. Re-infection with COVID-19 is possible even with a high content of antibodies in the body after recovery. This was written by "Komsomolskaya Pravda" with reference to the words of the immunologist Nikolai Kryuchkov.
"Re-infection, including in people with" good ", as they say, antibody tests, is possible in several cases," - said Kryuchkov. He identified five conditions for reinfection with COVID-19 in the presence of antibodies:
if the body is weakened due to severe chronic diseases. In this case, there may be a gap in protection against the virus, despite the presence of antibodies and cellular immunity; weak immune system. These are patients taking immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplantation, cancer patients, patients with autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and others). And also patients with other diseases receiving therapy that suppresses the immune system - this includes, among other things, treatment with glucocorticosteroids, cytostatics and other drugs; even the vaccine does not provide complete protection against coronavirus, the immunologist recalled. According to Kryuchkov, the main advantage of the drug is the prevention of severe complications up to 3-6 months. After this period, protection against infection can be reduced by 60%. "The further from the episode of the first infection, the weaker the body's defense, even with a positive test result for antibodies," the doctor concluded; there are different types of antibodies. For example, neutralizing agents protect against new infections, but make up a relatively small proportion of the total antibody level. “In order to find out more precisely about the level of protection, special test systems for antibodies to the RBD domain are needed,” the immunologist noted. infection with new mutations of the coronavirus. As an example, Kryuchkov cited the "British" strain that has already reached Russia. "Most likely, for immunity, the mutated strain will not be a completely unfamiliar enemy, but a decrease in the effectiveness of protection to one degree or another in those who have been ill or vaccinated cannot be ruled out," Kryuchkov noted.