＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
In response to the global spread (pandemic) of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), the Japanese government and the entire Japanese public are united in their efforts to encourage people to refrain from going out, request business closures, and avoid crowded places (Cs), but there are no signs of the virus coming to an end.
The biggest reason why novel coronavirus pneumonia, which has now become a pandemic, is so feared is not because it is airborne or droplet-borne, but because a reliably effective treatment or vaccine has not yet been developed. Of course, researchers are currently working hard to develop effective treatments and vaccines.
Early in the UK’s outbreak, British Prime Minister Johnson expressed his disapproval of infection prevention measures such as pub closures, stating that “immunity cannot be achieved unless many people are infected” (the theory of herd immunity). He subsequently shifted his focus to infection prevention, and the Prime Minister himself became infected with COVID-19.
But what is the difference between “immunity” and the closely related term “antibody”? Also, was British Prime Minister Johnson’s initial approach completely wrong?
In this article, I would like to consider these issues.
1. The Difference Between “Immunity” and “Antibodies”
(1) What is “Immunity”?
“Immunity” refers to the body’s ability to constantly patrol the body, checking for the presence of bacteria, viruses, and other invaders, and to immediately launch an attack if they do.
In other words, it is a “security system” or “defense system” against bacteria and viruses.
Everyone is born with an “immune system.” White blood cells in the blood control this immune system and account for approximately 6.6% of the body’s total cells. Approximately 500 billion immune cells protect us from antigens such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells.
(2) What are “Antibodies”?
“Antibodies” are “special proteins produced in response to instructions from immune cells to inactivate (destroy) antigens such as bacteria and viruses.”
In other words, they are “weapons” against bacteria and viruses.
Antibodies are not innate like immune systems; they are not produced in the body until antigens such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites enter the body and instructions are issued by immune cells.
However, once these antibodies are produced, you become less likely to contract a disease you have had before.
It is often said that once you have contracted mumps or measles, you become “immune,” but this is because the production of antibodies makes it less likely that you will contract the same disease again. Even if you develop the disease again, the symptoms will not be as severe as the first time.
(3) What is an “antigen”?
A word very similar to “antibody” is “antigen.” What is the difference?
An “antigen” is “the substance itself that triggers an immune response in the body, such as viruses, bacteria, or allergy-causing pollen and eggs.”
Antibodies, on the other hand, are “proteins called immunoglobulins that perfectly match with foreign substances (viruses, bacteria, pollen, etc.) that enter the body and work to eliminate them.”
In other words, “antigens” are like “thieves” that invade the body from the outside, while “antibodies” are like “police” produced within the body when foreign substances enter.
2. Vaccine Vaccinations
Vaccinations for diseases such as influenza artificially introduce antigens into the body to produce “antibodies,” preventing infection and disease.
Since the vaccines administered do not have the same strong effects as the actual antigens, people with normally functioning immune cells will not become ill after receiving the vaccine. However, people with weakened immune systems may occasionally become ill after receiving the vaccine.
3. Was British Prime Minister Johnson’s initial policy completely wrong?
On March 12, Prime Minister Johnson, along with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance, held a press conference and stated the following regarding measures against COVID-19 pneumonia:
(1) Many families will lose loved ones sooner than they would have otherwise.
(2) The most important challenge will be protecting the elderly and most vulnerable during the peak weeks.
(3) The UK is about four weeks slower in the spread of the new virus than Italy, but large-scale infections are expected to occur at some point. It is not possible to prevent everyone from becoming infected, and immunity is only achieved through infection in many people, so preventing everyone from becoming infected is not desirable.
(4) There are currently 590 cases of infection in the UK, but the actual number is estimated to be much higher, between 5,000 and 10,000.
(5) The goal is not to contain the new virus, but to minimize suffering by delaying and lowering its peak. The background to this is that as summer approaches, the NHS (National Health Service) will become busier and respiratory illnesses will generally decline.
(6) Do not close schools (this may change in the future). Closures will force children to gather elsewhere, exacerbating the problem by increasing opportunities for them to see grandparents, who are more likely to become seriously ill.
(7) Banning large events will have little effect, so we will not ban them (this may change in the future). Large events are just as contagious as small gatherings with family and friends.
(8) Do not follow the US’s proposed travel restrictions from continental Europe. Doing so would be ineffective.
(9) If anyone develops a new, persistent cough or fever, no matter how mild, they will be required to self-isolate at home for seven days to prevent the spread of infection.
(10) If any member of a household develops any symptoms at some point in the next few weeks, the entire household will be required to self-isolate for two weeks.
(11) People who stay at home will not need to be tested. Testing capacity will be focused on hospitalized patients with symptoms. Testing will depend solely on symptoms and their severity.
(12) Behavioral science shows that even if people are initially enthusiastic about taking actions to reduce infection, it is difficult to maintain them for long. There is a concern that if we ask people to refrain from going out for a long period of time, people who cannot continue doing so will stop following the rules at a crucial time. Rather than asking for a long-term response, we need to ensure that the necessary measures are taken when they are most effective from an epidemiological perspective.
(13) Please wash your hands.
Prime Minister Johnson’s initial policy seemed to have some merit, but which was correct will not be clear until a year from now, or several years from now, and this is an issue that should be examined once this “novel coronavirus pneumonia” has “completely subsided.”
4. Views of Moriyo Kimura, former medical engineer at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
On April 11, 2020, on ABC TV’s information program “Tell Me! NEWS Live: Justice’s Friend,” former Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare medical technician Moriyo Kimura (1965- ), said the following:
No one can escape infectious diseases. When it comes to infectious diseases, the only way to prevent them is to become infected and develop immunity, or to prevent them with an effective vaccine. Think of state of emergency declarations as a way to buy time to prevent the collapse of the medical system.
She is a physician who graduated from the University of Tsukuba School of Medicine and a Master’s degree in Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
While Kimura Moriyo’s comments are not the opinion of experts on the government’s “advisory committee,” there does seem to be some truth to them.
5. The opinion of obstetrician-gynecologist Kana Maruta
In response to criticism from overseas and elsewhere that “Japan is keeping the number of infections low by not conducting PCR tests on everyone who wants them,” Dr. Maruta expressed the following opinions on Yomiuri TV’s “Soredemo Itte Iinkai NP,” broadcast on April 12:
(1) Japan is not intentionally suppressing PCR testing to make the number of infections appear lower.
(2) It is important for those with mild symptoms to stay home and recuperate without undergoing testing in order to prevent the collapse of the medical system.
(3) There has been a sharp increase in the number of young people with taste and smell disorders undergoing PCR testing, but there are reports that most of the results have been “negative.”
(4) PCR testing should not be expanded indiscriminately, but should be limited to those with severe or moderate symptoms, thereby reducing the excessive burden on medical workers.
I agree with Dr. Maruta’s opinion.
6. My amateur thoughts on the “end” of the coronavirus pandemic
The “herd immunity” theory initially proposed by British Prime Minister Johnson (the idea that immunity cannot be achieved without widespread infection and that businesses and schools should be left alone without closures) offers immediate benefits, such as “giving many people antibodies,” given that it is currently estimated to take at least one to one and a half years to develop an effective vaccine. However, it also poses significant risks, such as a “gamble” that could result in a large number of serious cases and deaths.
As a result, the reality is that we have no choice but to implement policies such as “city lockdowns” like those in China, “stay-at-home orders” and “business closure orders” like those in Europe and the United States, or “requests to refrain from non-essential outings,” “requests to close businesses,” and “avoidance of the three Cs” like those in Japan.
However, these policies only postpone an “overshoot” (explosive spread of infection) as long as possible and aim to reduce the peak of the overshoot in order to prevent a medical system collapse.
Even if these policies achieve a “temporary containment,” once restrictions on activities are lifted, a second or third wave of “overshoot” is inevitable.
The only way to bring this pandemic to a complete end is to wait until an effective vaccine is developed and the entire population is vaccinated and develops antibodies.
Plasma therapy, in which plasma from recovered (antibody-developing) COVID-19 patients is administered to severely ill patients, is being carried out in some areas and appears to be effective, but like blood transfusions, it carries the risk of infection.
Furthermore, according to Dr. Zhong Nanshan, head of the Chinese research team, the new coronavirus appears to mutate to survive better inside the patient’s body, sometimes becoming more infectious, making it a formidable opponent.
In any case, it looks like this will be a long, drawn-out battle against an invisible virus, even more troublesome than the Spanish flu, something humanity has never experienced before.
And one more thing: I believe there is an increasing need to enlist the help of the Self-Defense Forces in this battle against the virus. The destroyer Takanami (with approximately 260 personnel), which is currently deployed to the Middle East as part of the international cooperation “Combined Maritime Force,” should be brought back to Japan immediately and used as a “support unit for coronavirus countermeasures” to serve the Japanese people together with the Self-Defense Forces personnel in Japan.