Participation of immune responses in the control of COVID-19
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COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which triggered a large-scale pandemic in 2019. This succinct review updates knowledge about the host's immune response towards the virus, given its importance in the resolution of the disease and protection against reinfections.
A concerted activity among the different components of the immune response would be crucial to face the virus; therefore, individuals who have deficiencies would have a greater risk of developing a severe disease. The severity depends on multiple factors, such as health status, sex, ethnicity, age, etc.
Although there is great variability, the magnitude of the immune response seems to last for at least 5 months. Among its components, circulating antibodies, by reducing viral load, would be particularly useful in the early stages of infection, but they do not regulate its severity and resolution, which depends mainly on CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes.
Despite the reinfection rate appears to be low, so far, no clear correlation has been found between the magnitude of the immune response and the degree of protection against either primary or secondary COVID-19. This would suggest to be cautious when interpreting clinical analysis and taking health and social decisions.
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