While little is definitively known about the coronavirus, just 7 months into the pandemic, the new virus is behaving like most others, experts said, lending credence to the belief that herd immunity can be achieved with a vaccine.
Reports of reinfection instead may be cases of drawn-out illness. A decline in antibodies is normal after a few weeks, and people are protected from the coronavirus in other ways, reports The New York Times.
What is coronavirus?
The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus discovered in China that causes a disease called COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019.
How does coronavirus spread?
Evidence suggests it is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said as much as a quarter of infections are passed through what’s known as asymptomatic transmission, by talking or breathing.
Infectious disease experts say it’s unlikely it would be transmitted through food, cuts or toilet spray.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres explained that roughly half of people who have coronavirus show symptoms in about five days. By 12 days, nearly everyone infected will show symptoms.
Symptoms of coronavirus include cough, sore throat and fever. Symptoms may also include the loss of smell or taste and in rare cases, pink eye. A small percentage of patients also cough up blood.
COVID-19 seems to be hitting men harder than women and affecting black Americans disproportionately. Here’s more information on when to contact your doctor and whether coronavirus is worse than the flu.