Video: COVID-19 Why it Matters: Part 15, What are COVID-19 Antibodies?
This video series features UW-Green Bay’s Immunologist Brian Merkel on COVID-19 and Why it Matters. This series empowers viewers with knowledge to help them navigate through the pandemic. Merkel has a Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology from the Medical College of Virginia. He is an associate professor in UW-Green Bay’s Human Biology & Biology programs and has an appointment at the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He will be responding to a number of questions related to COVID-19 and try to get behind the “why” it’s important to be educated in your decision-making as we navigate the pandemic together.
Video Transcript – COVID-19 Why it Matters: Part 15, What are COVID-19 Antibodies?
Hello, Brian Merkel, Microbiology and Immunology, and we are here to talk about Why COVID-19 Matters to You.
When we become infected with different types of infectious agents including COVID-19, part of the ramping up process for our immune system is to get b-cells to make antibodies. And one of the great things that antibodies can do is that they can coat the surface of the virus before it has an ability to attach to a cell that it needs to infect.
One of the big questions related to antibody production to COVID-19, is how much protection does that give you going forward? Now, this is still being aggressively studied but the gold standard information that we have, antibody production to COVID-19 is going to last roughly three months. That’s our best guesstimate right now in terms of how long this protection can last.
COVID-19 Why it Matters: Video Series:
Introduction with Brian Merkel https://youtu.be/M-yYPSPk30Q
Part 1: What are viruses and where did this one come from https://youtu.be/DYbiIv8ICgs
Part 2: Two main types of viruses https://youtu.be/O-OVk3rx96s
Part 3: Why is this virus serious? https://youtu.be/EDFyNN8i5G4
Part 4: Why wash hands/wear mask? https://youtu.be/FlcAvlt876Y
Part 5: I’m young! Why should I care? https://youtu.be/TDrEV_beY1U
Part 6: Can pandemics be stopped before they start? https://youtu.be/lgWnJZNYbFI
Part 7: Pandemic is not local, why wear a mask? https://youtu.be/IG3Sl3q-xH8
Part 8: Why does everyone need a flu shot this year? https://youtu.be/DGpBFj0fJkA
Part 9: What is the science behind a vaccine? https://youtu.be/eQ3FclkYaQo
Part 10: Where can I find accurate information? https://youtu.be/pLMlU5Xnkgo
Part 11: What type of mask should I wear? https://youtu.be/gCFHxQvkVYE
Part 12: Why HUGE COVID-19 spikes in Wisconsin? https://youtu.be/OuqmXvrDApY
Part 13: Fall break, protect yourself & others https://youtu.be/h21Ed_bBTE4
Part 14: Why is COVID-19 Testing so Important? https://youtu.be/Fr9VJZZrTE0
Part 15: What are COVID-19 Antibodies? https://youtu.be/J2lfJzoUEHI
