Variants, Virulence, and Vaccines, Oh My!

Guest: Elitza S. Theel, Ph.D. (@ElliTheelPhD) Host: Amit K. Ghosh, M.D. (@AmitGhosh006) Dr. Elitza Theel, Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Director of Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic’s Rochester Campus, discusses our immune response to vaccination and natural infection and outlines the different types of antibody assays currently available. Dr. Theel also discusses the concept of herd immunity in the context of different circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and the increased need to get higher rates of vaccination in the community as the infectivity and transmissibility of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants changes. We also discuss the status of correlates of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and the need for booster vaccine doses for immunocompromised individuals.  Additional resources: Interim Guidelines for COVID-19 Antibody Testing in Clinical and Public Health Settings https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antibody-tests-guidelines.html Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.