What is Covid-19?

Covid-19 is a well known viral infection that greatly impacted the world on a global scale just five years ago.

COVID-19 (denoted by its discovery year of 2019) is an infectious disease that belongs to a family of coronaviruses, specifically classified as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome viruses, or SARS.

Viruses – more commonly, the influenza (flu) virus – have been responsible for a number of regional epidemics and global pandemics in the past several decades. While COVID-19 is a pathogen that often presents with symptoms similar to the flu, influenza and COVID are not the same and are caused by distinctly different viruses.

Due to multiple rapid mutations of COVID and other factors, COVID-19 is now a widespread and common contagious respiratory infection.

Mechanism of Action: How Do You Get COVID-19?

Getting infected with COVID requires ingestion or inhalation of the virus. This usually occurs through being in close contact with someone contagious and already infected with coronavirus. Ingestion or inhalation of droplets carrying the virus from coughing or sneezing results in the virus entering your system.

The virus that causes COVID attacks cells along our airways, which is why COVID-19 is known as a respiratory infection. Once the coronavirus comes in contact with the surface of the cell, it enters through multiple mechanisms and hijacks that cell. Using the organelles and other machinery of our cells, the virus consistently replicates and then leaves to infect other cells.

What is it Like to Have COVID?

As with any illness, the symptoms of COVID-19 can range both in type and severity. The symptoms you may experience and their severity can be caused by a combination of factors such as any underlying conditions, the integrity of your immune system prior to infection, and the type of virus.

More severe symptoms can manifest for a myriad of reasons, and it is imperative to get checked out immediately if you are experiencing symptoms including prolonged fever, difficulty breathing, pain in your chest, confusion, or memory issues.

Diagnostics and Tests

If you think you may have COVID, it’s important to get tested to help protect others. COVID-19 can be confirmed by a number of viral tests which can be done at labs, clinics and even at home. Testing for active infection of the virus is done by a collection of saliva or a nasal swab to test to see if the virus is positively identified in your system.

The test results timeline is based on the type of test you get, with some results giving an output as soon as a few minutes. Some tests may take as long as a few days if your testing site sends your swab to another clinic or lab for analysis.

Treatment Options

Mild and moderate cases of COVID are often treated at home with rest, hydration and over the counter medication to manage fever, headaches, and body soreness.

Preventative measures to help prevent the spread of the virus to others are also highly recommended, like consistent hand washing, self-isolation until receiving a negative test, cleaning sheets, items, and surfaces touched by the infected party. Limiting contact with others by staying home until you’re better, routine cleaning, and avoiding sharing personal items are all methods to reduce chances of reinfection and spreading the disease to others.

In individuals with underlying issues such as a compromised immune system or chronic illness, COVID can develop into a severe situation. Thus, those at high-risk for severe infection may be placed on antiviral medications or other treatment options to prevent the infection from progressing into an acute condition.

What Are COVID Antibodies and How Long Do They Last?

Antibodies are proteins that your immune system makes and attaches to foreign substances that may enter your body. Antibodies can work like a flag, light, or warning signal that alerts your immune system. They can also bind to a pathogen’s surface and neutralize it. Both of these mechanisms help to prevent and fight infection.

COVID antibodies are produced in response to either being infected by the virus or getting a COVID vaccine. Once these antibodies are produced they continually circulate your system until they recognize the virus, bind to it and aid in fighting off the infection.

How Long Can COVID Antibodies Last in Your System?

How long your immune system holds its memory is heavily influenced by the length of your infection. In multiple cases, research has identified people previously infected with COVID experience active immunity for as long as 8 months. While antibodies stability and abundance decreases at roughly 4 months, protection lasting around 6 months is common.

If you’ve been infected, most experts suggest getting vaccinated 3-4 months after you recover. Moreover, if you’re currently unvaccinated, getting the initial vaccine and staying up to date with boosters is important to preventing infection and staying healthy.

Last Words

Over the past 5 years, COVID has become as common as the flu and the cold, especially during the winter season. While there are some similarities between COVID and the flu their symptoms, severity and vaccines are distinctly different due to having different viruses of origin.

Being infected with coronavirus can often manifest in symptoms such as tiredness, coughing, and impaired taste or smell. More severe symptoms can arise from underlying conditions, so it is important to monitor any symptoms and stay in communication with a doctor.

Antiviral medications, isolation, rest, and good hydration and nutrition are typical treatment options; however, reduction of COVID cases and their severity is best supported through preventive methods. Natural infection results in antibodies with stable immunity averaging 4-6 months; so, it is encouraged to get the vaccine a few months after recovering and stay current with boosters, especially during colder months.