Scared That Covid-19 Immunity Won’t Last? Don’t Be

July 31, 2020

The New York Times published an opinion piece by Yale professors of Immunobiology Dr. Akiko Iwasaki and Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov, who seek to dispel the recent panic over the declining antibody counts in some COVID-19 patients. According to both scientists, a decrease in antibodies is a normal immune response when the infection starts to recede. It does not mean that immunity is waning.

Dr. Iwasaki was the recipient of the 2018 Yale Blavatnik Fund for Innovation grant along with Dr. Anna Marie Pyle for their research into the next generation of immunotherapies. In 2007, Dr. Medzhitov was one of the first Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists winner, recognized for his contributions to immunology. In 2013, the Blavatnik Family Foundation granted $10 million to help develop Dr. Medzhitov and Dr. Richard Flavell’s theory that linked inflammation and chronic disease. In addition, in 2019, the Foundation gave $5 million to support Dr. Medzhitov’s research into the biology of survival.