DETROIT – Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Dr. Frank McGeorge has been keeping viewers up-to-date and informed on all fronts. He’s been answering your questions about the vaccine, the vaccination process and more.
READ: More answers to questions about coronavirus
Should the kids who are virtual this school year get the vaccine now or wait until the end of the school year?
Anyone who is eligible for the vaccine should get vaccinated as soon as possible. There is no reason to put it off.
Does the reduction in positive tests reflect a decrease in testing?
You are correct that if we simply test fewer people we will find fewer positives. That’s why the percent positivity is really the number public health people watch. The percent of tests that are positive gives us an indication of how widespread an infection is. At its peak during the past wave the percent positivity was all the way up to 18.5% statewide. It has no trended down to 5%.
If I had COVID and a test shows that I have strong antibodies then why would I want a COVID vaccine that only aims at the protein and no more? Isn’t the vaccine supposed to mimic the antibodies of a COVID infection?
The vaccines available in the United States cause a person to produce antibodies only to the spike protein of the coronavirus. A COVID infection results in antibodies to the spike protein and other proteins that are present on the coronavirus.
In that sense, you might assume a natural infection covers more vases. The reason the vaccine is still valuable to people who have been infected is the added longer-term immunity, specifically to the spike protein, is more effective at preventing future infection since it’s the spike protein that allows the virus to enter our cells. Also, right now, it’s unclear how long natural immunity will last especially if someone had a mild infection.
There is one recent research paper published in the Journal Nature that suggests the combination of an natural infection and vaccination produces the strongest level of long-term protection.