![Doctors are unsure of a lot of the details surrounding coronavirus, but they do agree that washing your hands always helps prevent germs. [Margoe Edwards /Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/869163c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2121+0+0/resize/840x594!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F3%2F17%2FHand%20washing%20helps%20prevent%20the%20spread.jpg)
Updated on May 5, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
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Patrick asks via email: 鈥淚f you get over it would you then have some immunity?鈥�
We鈥檝e heard similar questions from many listeners, and while experts aren鈥檛 entirely sure because the virus is a new strain, infectious disease specialist Dr. Keith Armitage of University Hospitals says it might offer partial immunity.
鈥淚鈥檓 very confident when I say if you鈥檝e had it once, you have at least partial immunity, so you鈥檙e not at risk for having a bad case where you鈥檇 require medical care,鈥� Armitage said.
That means you might catch it again, but Armitage thinks a person wouldn鈥檛 become severely ill if they did become reinfected.
And it鈥檚 important to remember that none of us have natural immunity yet to COVID-19, since it is a new strain of coronavirus thought to have originated from bats, according to Armitage. This is why the virus is so easily spread.
Carol from Columbus asks: 鈥淲hy are people who have had COVID-19 not immune to reinfection? What is the science behind immunity, and how does it relate to a path for vaccinations?鈥�
University Hospitals鈥� Dr. Amy Edwards says it鈥檚 assumed鈥攂ut they don鈥檛 yet know鈥攖hat patients have a partial immunity if they recover from COVID-19. That means they may get the virus again, but it could be mild, or they may have full immunity for at least a period of time, but it鈥檚 too early to say for sure.
Edwards explained immunity from an infection and immunity from a vaccine are slightly different but lead to similar outcomes, because your body creates antibodies or a similar protein to eliminate infectious agents.
She said having antibodies does not mean permanent immunity, and this isn鈥檛 unique to this strain of coronavirus. She said antibodies tend to wane after a year or two, and there are many infections you can catch over and over. Those types of infections are generally not good vaccine candidates because you have to keep vaccinating over and over.
