A COVID-19 particle is pictured in this image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention photo]

Two Audrain County residents who recovered from COVID-19 now have antibodies to the virus. Nineteen were tested, however, which means 17 do not have an immunity to the virus and it is not known how long those with antibodies will remain immune.

The Audrain County Health Department presented testing information in a weekly collaborative teleconference Wednesday with education, business, governmental and health leaders.

The two who tested positive for antibodies are a husband and wife, Health Administrator Sandra Hewlett said.

“This is kind of confirming the two Lancet papers, where the journal has shown is most people do not have immunity after three weeks,” she said.

A study was done in Spain, and a majority of the thousands tested did not have COVID-19 antibodies, even in hot spots, which means even if a person had COVID-19 there is a chance for reinfection.

Of those who do test positive for antibodies, the concentration reduces over time — a few weeks up to a few months. This also means there is the potential for reinfection months after one’s initial recovery. COVID-19 cousins “such as SARS and MERS result in antibodies that remain in the body for nearly a year.”

COVID-19 patients will have to undergo multiple tests to determine length of immunity. The downside is that testing is at the patient’s cost, Hewlett said.

“It is going to be a voluntary thing if people want to go get tested,” she said. “The state is not really paying for that right now. There is no fund, so it would really be up to that individual.”

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services now is studying wastewater looking for the genetic markers that cause COVID-19. The state is doing this in counties with higher numbers of the virus, including Audrain. Results are expected in the next couple of weeks, Hewlett said.

The amount of genetic markers associated with COVID-19 in wastewater can serve as an indicator of the actual level of infection within a community, she said.

“This helps them monitor the trends we have for the emergence of new cases or the re-emergence,” she said. “What we know now is if someone only has immunity for two to eight weeks, they can get COVID again. That is the new thinking.”

This also means herd immunity likely is not achievable based on World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information, Hewlett said. This is when a majority of people either are vaccinated or have immunity to a disease that end up protecting those who have compromised immune systems or cannot be vaccinated.

The immunity rate right now is about 4%. More than 50-70% is needed for herd immunity, Hewlett said.

“They [WHO and CDC] don’t see us as reaching herd immunity numbers in the next year or two,” she said. “If we want to stomp this [case] number down we have to be practicing good social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and staying home if sick.”

Of the total cases in Audrain County it is nearly a 50-50 split women to men of who tested positive.

As of Friday morning, there are eight active cases of COVID-19 in Audrain County out of a total case count of 145. This is down from 14 active cases Wednesday, with nine from the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia. Nearly 3,200 people in Audrain County have been tested for COVID-19.

The health department as of Wednesday still was waiting to see if there will be a jump in the case number from the July 4 weekend.

“We know our numbers will go up,” Hewlett said. “If we look at the counties all around us from the last couple weeks, Boone is up at least 200 cases. Callaway has doubled. Camden has doubled [and] Cole is up by 30%.”

People are starting to be more serious about social distancing and mask wearing, she added. Hewlett warned against using hand sanitizer containing methanol, referencing a CDC advisory.

“Methanol is a toxic alcohol and it can cause blindness or death when absorbed through the skin or if it is swallowed,” she said.

FREE ADULT FLU SHOTS

The health department received criteria from DHSS on Wednesday for a free flu vaccine program for adults later this year.

“It is going to be given first to high-risk groups,” Hewlett said. “So, people with chronic conditions, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, adults with underlying concerns, African-Americans and adults part of the country’s critical infrastructure.”

Critical infrastructure refers to agriculture, manufacturing, food processing plants, grocery employees and health care professionals.

Availability for the vaccine will be in November and December. More concrete dates will be available closer to those months.

nav-oc Naviga Writer 2020-07-12T13:05:08Z false yes NEWS momex-071520-news-audrain-meeting