The Pandemic hampered Human Immunity

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been a challenge to scientists and medical professionals around the world, with an estimated 256 million illnesses and more than 5 million deaths. Researchers are striving to develop effective vaccinations and cures, as well as to learn more about the infection’s long-term impact.

Researchers are still studying how and how well the vaccinations work, despite their importance in Pandemic control. This is especially true as novel virus variations emerge and vaccination adverse effects such as allergic responses, heart inflammation (myocarditis), and blood clotting become more common (thrombosis).

There are also unanswered questions about the illness itself. Even after recovering from COVID-19, about one out of every four individuals experiences lasting symptoms. These symptoms, known as “long COVID,” are assumed to be caused by a patient’s immunological reaction, as are the vaccines’ off-target adverse effects. William Murphy, UC Davis Vice Chair of Research and Distinguished Professor of Dermatology and Internal Medicine, and Dan Longo, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, present a possible explanation for the diverse immune responses to the virus and vaccines in an article published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Murphy and Longo believe that Nobel Laureate Niels Jerne’s Network Hypothesis may provide insights, based on basic immunological notions. Jerne’s hypothesis explains how the immune system controls antibodies. It refers to a process in which the immune system sends out protective antibody responses in response to an antigen (like a virus). These same protective antibodies can later activate a fresh antibody response against themselves, eventually disappearing.