T cell immunity is probably more important than blood antigens that go away.
A type of white blood cell known as T cells take the lead in protecting the body from Covid-19 infection, playing a much bigger role than antibodies, a new study has found.
The findings, published in the journal Cell, suggests that vaccine candidates should aim to elicit a broad immune response that include antibodies as well as T cells to ensure immunity against Covid-19.
The study also points at why older Covid-19 patients are much more vulnerable to the disease. Researchers from La Jolla Institute for Immunology in the US, who did the study, have explained that with increasing age, the reservoir of T cells declines and a body’s immune response becomes less coordinated.
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This may explain why older people are more susceptible to severe or fatal Covid-19.
For the study, the researchers collected blood samples from 50 Covid-19 patients and analysed SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies as well as T cells.
They found that a strong SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response was predictive of milder infection. The findings indicate that T cells are more important in the body’s fight against Covid-19.
“The findings, published in the journal Cell, suggests that vaccine candidates should aim to elicit a broad immune response that include antibodies as well as T cells to ensure immunity against Covid-19.”
That’s what the J&J vaccine does.