Thoughts? Saw it on the covid room in matrix.

  • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆
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    12 years ago

    It’s a natural selection arms race between human immune system and the virus though. As the immune system learns to identify existing variants, we start seeing new variants evolve that get around that.

    • @meloo@lemmy.perthchat.orgOP
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      12 years ago

      I get what you’re saying, but you might not get what i’m saying:

      For simplification, lets say covid evolution goes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, […] 100 where 100 is a new variant and 1 is the og covid. Lets say covid evolves from 1 to 2 over a 1 week period.

      If you’re exposed to 1 you become infected then immune for 6 months. When you’re exposed to 2, it’s basically 1 but it renews your immunity. If you’re exposed to a new number each week (1, 2, 3, 4 etc 99) by the time 100 comes out, you’d have maintained immunity and your 6 month antibodies.

      Make sense what i’m saying?

      • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆
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        12 years ago

        It does, but the problem is that each sufficiently divergent variant is effectively a whole new pandemic. Your immunity only works for variants that are similar enough for your immune system to recognize. Furthermore, there is a chance that new variants can cause new kinds of damage to the body.

        • @meloo@lemmy.perthchat.orgOP
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          12 years ago

          yeah. But if you’re under constant exposure to covid as it evolves, no variant will be new to the body, since 99 and 100 are bsaically the same

          • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆
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            12 years ago

            That’s now how it works in practice. Viruses can easily change in ways that make existing immunity worthless as we saw with omicron. Furthermore, viruses often recombine with other viruses. This isn’t a simple linear progression.