A Minimalist Strategy Towards Temporarily Defining Protection for COVID-19

Abstract

Until either efficacious therapy or vaccination for COVID-19 is achieved, there will be a need to regain world economic stability while yet controlling the pandemic with current approaches. For those infected thus far, there is a prevailing perspective that devising recognition for protective immunity will progressively allow segments of society to return to some functionality more than is existing. At this time, the best correlates with protection from natural coronavirus infections are systemic neutralizing antibody and mucosal IgA. Serum neutralizing antibody more easily fulfills the latter requisite, but current live virus methods for neutralization prevent large-scale application. It is conceivable that the exposure of previously infected individuals can allow for the definition of protective thresholds of neutralizing antibody. Thereafter, many other antibody assays will be able to screen for surrogate protection after correlations with protective neutralizing antibody are made. Specificity of common antibody tests would benefit from confirmatory blocking systems or confirmatory immunoblotting fingerprints with well-defined antigen(s). The opportunity for the scientific community to make these assessments is evident in the current context of the COVID-19 epidemic given the large numbers of infected individuals worldwide. Such information will also be vital to guide vaccine development and/or immunotherapy.

Applying Immune Instincts and Maternal Intelligence from Comparative Microbiology to COVID-19

“…From a purist's perspective, neutralizing antibody postinfection or post-vaccination presents the best humoral immune correlate with protection at this time [179]. Mucosal sIgA and systemic IgG at this time also best correlate with local and peripheral protection respectively.…”

A Comprehensive Analysis of Maternal and Newborn Disease and Related Control for COVID-19

“…Indeed passive immunotherapy has promise for both mother and newborn as may be required [317]. There has been considerable progress in the understanding of protective and passive immunity for COVID-19, and there is considerable potential in the field of maternal immunity from COVID-19 for translational research and potentially practical implementation [318,319]. Pace et al have begun such assessments with finding of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody in breast milk; they also have found that virus-directed antibody has neutralizing capacity [320].…”

Untangling the Intricacies of Infection, Thrombosis, Vaccination, and Antiphospholipid Antibodies for COVID-19

“…Mass vaccination will undoubtedly benefit the populace at large, but as we are already learning, no existing vaccine will be perfect and some may appear less perfect than others over time. There are many aspects of COVID-19-related immunology that have been critically assessed, but the entity of related autoimmunity is relatively in its infancy [197][198][199]. In the interim, complications of thrombosis whether after infection or vaccination should be embraced as substance for further understandings of pathogenesis since the spin-offs are more likely to be broader than initially presumed.…”