Researchers Say Some People Have Developed 'Superhuman Immunity' Against COVID-19
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Studies show both hybrid immunity and superhuman immunity are ways in which our bodies may have extra fighting power against COVID-19.
Experts say they've heard the terms used interchangeably, but they're a little bit different.
Hybrid immunity, is when someone has had COVID-19 and the vaccine.
It provides people with antibodies from both.
Superhuman immunity starts off the same way, but that some people with particular genetics can develop even more immunity.
"There are some of us that have this super ability to be able to recover from infections, COVID being one of them, a little better than the general population," said Archana Narayan, and Immunologist with North Texas Allergy & Asthma Associates.
Experts say it's a rare phenomenon.
"It's a descriptive term for an individual to generate very high amounts of neutralizing antibodies," Dr. Mohanakrishnan Sathyamoorthy, Chair of Internal Medicine, TCU and UNTHSC.
Studies show that some folks may have hit the genetic jackpot, meaning their bodies can develop very high levels antibodies that neutralize the virus.
They are also capable of fighting off present and future variants of COVID-19.
They say there's no specific clinical test you can take to determine if someone has super human immunity, other than a regular antibody test to assess one's general immunity, if recommended by a doctor.
Other than that, they say the best bet is to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"If you've been infected then you can take comfort in knowing on top of that infection, you can boost your immune response with a vaccine. You can create a level of immune response that's remarkable," Dr. Mohanakrishnan said.