VIDEO: Plenary talk reviews immunology of COVID-19, available vaccines

In this video perspective, Igor J. Koralnik, MD, FAAN, FANA, reviews his talk on COVID-19 immunology and COVID-19 vaccines from the COVID-19 plenary session at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, which is being held virtually.

Koralnik, chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology and Archibald Church professor of neurology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, discussed the different ways that available tests detect SARS-CoV-2, noting that there is “no gold standard” for diagnosis.

“Even the newer tests that detect antibodies against the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 may turn out to be negative in patients who had been infected months prior because there is a rapid decay of antibody levels in the blood of patients,” he said.

Koralnik discussed the “lingering and persistent” neurologic problems that patients — including COVID-19 ‘long-haulers’ — may develop. His talk also reviewed the vaccines for COVID-19, which immunize people against the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins.

He discussed the different efficacy levels of the available vaccines and noted that “everyone should try to get vaccinated in their geographic area with vaccines that are available to them at that time.”

Koralnik described the COVID-19 vaccines as an “ongoing story,” one that may eventually involve a booster shot.

“It’s possible that we’ll end up like with influenza, where, every year, you need to get a different type of influenza vaccine,” he said. “Maybe every year we’ll need to get a different type of coronavirus vaccine.”