Originally Posted by ezefllying

I’m looking forward to clearer evidence on whether Covid infection confers immunity — even 1-2 years’ worth — on those who recover from it.

I’m roughly 30. If the projections are correct and the U.S. doesn’t enjoy some fortuitous China-like drop in infections,* I figure about half of my generation will contract the disease within the next year. But I’m also worried about the potential for care of older Americans — 60+ — to be strained when the virus hits its peak. And by “care,” I mean things like home food and medicine delivery and basic medical care to become limited as normal caregivers are themselves incapacitated or recruited to help overburdened hospitals.

I wonder if one potential solution to that problem is for governments to recruit those who have recovered, and thus (hopefully) enjoy immunity, to pick up the slack in a volunteer or low-pay capacity. Perhaps this could be accomplished through the national guard, or via some civilian corps to be established by the states. (Based on what I’ve seen so far, the states seem more willing and organized to confront this virus than the federal government.)

A Civilian Conservation Corps-style body could even be set up to coordinate such a force. And, as an economic measure, it could pay those — restaurant and food-service workers, hotel staff, Uber/Lyft drivers and others whose businesses will plummet — to fulfill those roles. I think a disproportionate share of those workers are younger, meaning they’ll be more likely to recover quickly from the disease. Consider it both a public health effort and a gig-economy bailout.

Of course, this depends in large part on whether Covid grants immunity. But if it does, I hope such a program would be viable.

*One hypothesis, mentioned by another poster, that I’m hopeful about is the notion that very-low-grade exposure confers limited immunity, such that millions of Americans could enjoy a natural vaccine without becoming symptomatic or infectious. If that other poster is right, this may explain the lack of an apparent reignition of the virus in Wuhan as people start to head back to work.

Originally Posted by CDC

Q: Can people who recover from COVID-19 be infected again?

A: The immune response to COVID-19 is not yet understood. Patients with MERS-CoV infection are unlikely to be re-infected shortly after they recover, but it is not yet known whether similar immune protection will be observed for patients with COVID-19.