Inside Medicine. What Are You Seeing? [COVID-19 medical news]

[Iglooo]

These same people also tested negative for the virus antibodies with the hypothesis being that there may be some existing and temporary cross-immunity from other coronaviruses (common colds) and that the presence of these T-cells predicted the course of the disease…

This is interesting. Does that mean people who rarely get a cold may have T-cells?

[Qtinfo]

@Iglooo I think it’s probably the opposite. You get the T-cells from having a cold–but then any later reinfection will be milder because of those T-cells. However, “mild” can range from a few days of symptoms to barely noticeable. So someone who “rarely gets a cold” may just have a great immune response–or they may not have been exposed to those colds.

Also coronaviruses only cause around 20% of “colds,” so it’s hard to tell what viruses one’s actually been exposed to.

anyway, it’ll be interesting to see what it all means (if anything). It would be great if a different virus provided some level of immunity, but it’s all just a guess at this point.

[Mom2aphysicsgeek]

@ucbalumnus

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/public/index.html says that OPV stopped being used in the US in 2000 (previously, both were used). While OPV is cheaper and easier to give (and may give a better immune response in the gut which is the usual entry point for wild polio infection), it has the rare risk of back-mutating into a virulent strain of polio.

I wonder where in the US IPV was being used before 2000. None of my older kids were born in the same state.

If there is an OPV relationship, in the US it would seem to be limited to a specific age range of people, those born in the 60s to 2000.

[TatinG]

Not just those born in the 60’s. I was born in the 50’s and remember clearly lining up at school for the oral polio vaccine on a sugar cube.

[MomofJandL]

@Mom2aphysicsgeek

@ucbalumnus

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/public/index.html says that OPV stopped being used in the US in 2000 (previously, both were used). While OPV is cheaper and easier to give (and may give a better immune response in the gut which is the usual entry point for wild polio infection), it has the rare risk of back-mutating into a virulent strain of polio.

I wonder where in the US IPV was being used before 2000. None of my older kids were born in the same state.

If there is an OPV relationship, in the US it would seem to be limited to a specific age range of people, those born in the 60s to 2000.

Didn’t everyone get the OPV in the 60s, not just kids?

[Mom2aphysicsgeek]

@MomofJandL

Didn’t everyone get the OPV in the 60s, not just kids?

No idea. Before my time. I did a quick read on the history of IPV vs OPV and it sounded like IPV was used in the late 50s/early 60s and then the switch was to OPV.

I just know that my older kids definitely received OPV bc I remember being shocked when one of my younger kids had to get an additional shot that I wasn’t anticipating vs. just getting the drops.

[Iglooo]

@Qtinfo

So someone who “rarely gets a cold” may just have a great immune response–or they may not have been exposed to those colds

It is my kid who went to a regular school. Not possible not to be exposed.

@Mom2aphysicsgeek

I wonder where in the US IPV was being used before 2000.

I know IPV was available probably everywhere. If you request, you could get it. I considered it briefly for my kid. Our nanny was from Haiti and wasn’t immunized. I was concerned she may get it from live vaccine. In the end, we decided against it.

[thumper1]

Yep…mass oral polio vaccine clinics were held nationwide. I have to guess these were in about 1961 or so. I remember lining up at our junior high school to get my sugar cubes, we did this three times.

My 30 something kids also had OPV, but the younger one had a polio shot booster as a requirement for her Peace Corps inoculations in 2010.

[Mom2aphysicsgeek]

Since so many in the older population probably had OPV, is the conversation about OPV in terms of a recent booster vs. simply being immunized via OPV vs IPV?

[Iglooo]

You made me smile by older population. 20 something is now older population?

[Mom2aphysicsgeek]

@Iglooo

You made me smile by older population. 20 something is now older population?

LOL. No, definitely not what I meant. That was what made me respond to @ucbalumnus in the first place since my kids between 20 and 30 all had OPV.

But if adults were receiving OPV in the 60s vs just newborns (I had assumed the adult/teen populations and newborns/younger kids in the late 50s/early 60s received IPV vs OPV) then it doesn’t match with the infection/deaths that we are seeing.

So what is the role that they think OPV has?

[ucbalumnus]

@Mom2aphysicsgeek

@ucbalumnus

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/public/index.html says that OPV stopped being used in the US in 2000 (previously, both were used). While OPV is cheaper and easier to give (and may give a better immune response in the gut which is the usual entry point for wild polio infection), it has the rare risk of back-mutating into a virulent strain of polio.

I wonder where in the US IPV was being used before 2000. None of my older kids were born in the same state.

If there is an OPV relationship, in the US it would seem to be limited to a specific age range of people, those born in the 60s to 2000.

IPV has been available in the US from 1955 until now, while OPV was available in the US from 1961-2000.

[Qtinfo]

@Iglooo

@Qtinfo

So someone who “rarely gets a cold” may just have a great immune response–or they may not have been exposed to those colds

It is my kid who went to a regular school. Not possible not to be exposed.

Are they still in school? There is a theory that school is why most kids don’t get seriously ill from this virus–most are exposed to everything. But once someone is older and has a different lifestyle, their immunity to common childhood illnesses will wain without repeated exposure.

[thumper1]

@Mom2aphysicsgeek i was 10 or 11 years old when I got the Sabin oral vaccine. As a baby, I had received the Salk shots.

This country did a fabulous job mobilizing to immunize everyone…and IIRC there was no charge…using the OPV in 1961-62 range. Clinic were held on Saturday and Sunday at just about every place you can think of…schools, public assembly places, anywhere where they thought the could attract a large group.

The goal was to eliminate Polio.

I have mentioned to friends that I’m hopeful that when a Covid 19 vaccine is developed and works, that the country will do the same thing again in terms of trying to immunize everyone.

[garland]

Regarding TB: I have a family member who had active TB in the past. Our assumption is that that person may be more vulnerable because of the lung cavitations. Though perhaps the antibodies will help.

We also have a family member who was infected and treated so did not develop the disease. And of course has the antibodies now. Wondering if that would make them less likely to be ill from Covid in the same way as BCG may work.

[Nrdsb4]

I remember the sugar cube too (born in the 60s). It was the only vaccine that I didn’t mind getting.

[emilybee]

@TatinG

Not just those born in the 60’s. I was born in the 50’s and remember clearly lining up at school for the oral polio vaccine on a sugar cube.

Yep, me too. Probably in kindergarten or 1st grade - which for me would have been 1960, 1961.

[Parentof2014grad]

My oldest was born in the Midwest in 1996. She got the OPV for her first dose. We moved to AZ when she was a couple of months old. All her other polio vaccines were injectable, as were the other two kids’ born in 1998 and beyond in AZ.

[Knowsstuff]

@cinnamon1212

Anyone else listen to the most recent TWIV? It’s a discussion of the protective effect of the oral polio vaccine (against many viruses). The study should be starting in a few weeks. It’s just a hypothesis now, but if the OPV is found to lessen the severity of COVID19 it would be tremendous as the vaccine is already safe for use in people.

I actually listened to it on my way to work. It’s interesting. No question. But their giving it to healthy people and hopes they don’t get the virus. So are these people quarantined or do they go shopping every day at target without a mask? ???

[Knowsstuff]

Think I have my first case of “Covaid” toes /foot tomorrow. Looks like it from the pictures they sent in. Young child so fits the age-group. Will see…
.