Dear Editor,

As we begin to experience the effects of COVID-19 we will see several fallouts or significant setbacks in our society. There are several concerns that I have and I believe should be at the forefront of the minds of many.

As I observe the effects this virus has had on other jurisdictions and heard several discussions about the possible time it will or may take for scientists to find a cure and/or a vaccine, and the possible time it will take for each economy to recover, my concerns mount.

One potent question I haven’t heard asked in any of the discussions that I have been privileged to hear and so I wish to pose it to the powers that be or to those who have many years’ experience in this field of medicine and medical advancements is: Can we develop, as a people, a natural immunity to this deadly virus?

In essence, I am asking; Will a patient that has had the virus and recovered be unable to catch it a second time or is it that once exposed, whether one time or 10 times, we will still be vulnerable to the virus again and can be infected multiple times?

I am very concerned about this because if one cannot develop a natural immunity to the virus then it is my view that there can another outbreak of the disease in very short order and things really would be immensely more serious than they now seem to be.

As I do further assessments of the situation, I have a few more concerns about this virus and it effects on society. Would the once-infected person that has recovered carry a trait of this virus and could somehow pass it to someone else?

This virus seems to be quite different from anything we have encountered before, hence my concerns.

One may say that we do not have enough experience to be able to answer these questions, but I believe that there are competent people who can study its behavioural pattern and be able to to make an intelligent guess and, based on their experience with other viruses over the years, be able to give an update about whether or not a natural immunity can and will be had once the patients recover.

Gary A Rowe, JP

magnett0072004@yahoo.com