Over the past year, scientists have been studying the coronavirus and developed a vaccine at a record pace. During an infection, our immune system develops a healthy response, leaving us with antibodies. But in severe cases, it can end up going overboard or not working at all.
First, the good news:
Immune responses fall on a spectrum. Our bodies develop lifelong immunity to viruses like hepatitis A or measles, while HIV, on the other end, can evade our bodies’ defenses for as long as we live. 'Fortunately, SARS-CoV-2 is closer to the hepatitis A end of the spectrum,' says Andrea Cox, a viral immunologist at Johns Hopkins University. 'It's not the easiest virus, but it's nowhere near HIV.'"
