This link addresses a nagging concern I have had about this particular coronavirus, and the testing surrounding it. In my veterinary career I have dealt with coronavirus infections in both dogs and cats and have faced questions about the various tests and vaccines available. In cats, the presence of feline coronavirus antibodies is nearly ubiquitous, and the testing is not helpful, because in cats the fatal form of the disease is due to a post exposure mutation of the virus which only occurs in a small percentage of cats. The vaccines available are a bit controversial and generally are not considered part of the core vaccination program. There is also a bit of a controversy about what protective antibody titers actually are in other companion animal viral diseases such as distemper, parvovirus, etc., and what the optimum frequency of vaccination should be.
There has been a general assumption that those who have antibodies against Covid-19 are immune from re-infection. This scientific brief released yesterday from the WHO urges caution in that assumption:
This throws another wrinkle into the assumptions we can make in “opening” the economy. We of course will need to start loosening things up in coming weeks and months, but there is still so much we don’t know about the behavior of the virus, and the interpretation of the testing. The assumption that those who have an antibody titer are well protected may or may not be true.
