＜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) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・コロナ感染後、中和抗体が1年間も持続との研究結果は朗報！ワクチン接種に弾み
1. What are “neutralizing antibodies”?
A “neutralizing antibody” (NAb) is an antibody that protects cells by neutralizing the biological effects that pathogens and infectious particles have on them.
Neutralization causes pathogens and infectious particles to lose their infectivity and pathogenicity.
Neutralizing antibodies are part of the humoral response of the adaptive immune system to viruses, intracellular bacteria, and microbial toxins.
Neutralizing antibodies specifically bind to the surface structure (antigen) of infectious particles, preventing interactions that could lead to infection and destruction of host cells.
Immunity provided by neutralizing antibodies is also known as “bactericidal immunity” because the immune system eliminates infectious particles before infection occurs.
2. A news report on May 20th (on YouTube) showed research indicating that “neutralizing antibodies persist for one year” in over 97% of COVID-19 patients.
The above was reported on television news (YouTube).
The Nikkei Shimbun’s detailed report is as follows: If vaccination progresses, we will be able to confirm the “sustained status of neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated individuals” in one year.
If, like with COVID-19 infected individuals, vaccinated individuals also show “sustained neutralizing antibodies for one year,” I believe this will give impetus to annual COVID-19 vaccinations (or at least for several years until the pandemic subsides), similar to seasonal influenza vaccinations.
Compared to the government and governors who repeatedly issue and extend ineffective “states of emergency,” and the experts, medical associations, opposition parties, and media who support them, I admire researchers who conduct and publish diligent scientific verification and analysis like in this report.
I believe it’s time for the government and governors, along with the experts, medical associations, opposition parties, and media who support them, to seriously reflect on their actions and make a major policy shift, as they continue to fuel anxiety about COVID-19 and restrict the freedom of movement of citizens without verifying the effectiveness of measures such as “requests for business closures,” “requests for reduced business hours,” “restrictions on people’s movement,” and “stay-at-home orders.”
The Japan Medical Association’s Chairman Nakagawa has been embroiled in two scandals for “breaking self-restraint” (“political fundraising party” and “sushi date”), which have caused a huge uproar online. However, I believe that infection prevention measures should be limited to pinpoint and effective measures, and the current broad-based infection prevention measures should be stopped immediately.
A research team at Yokohama City University announced on the 20th that they have confirmed that neutralizing antibodies, which prevent infection, remain in the body even one year after infection with the novel coronavirus. Most people possess these antibodies against the conventional strain, but against mutated viruses such as the British and Brazilian strains, the ability to prevent infection declined after six months, particularly in those with mild or no symptoms.
The research team examined neutralizing antibodies in the blood of 250 people aged 21 to 78 who had been infected with and recovered from COVID-19, six months and one year after infection. At six months, 98% of the participants had the necessary neutralizing antibodies, and at one year, 97% had them.
They also examined antibodies against mutated viruses. Looking at those with mild or no symptoms, who comprised about 70% of the study participants, the percentage of people with the necessary neutralizing antibodies six months after infection was 85% for the British strain, 81% for the Brazilian strain, 69% for the South African strain, and 75% for the Indian strain. After one year, these percentages rose to 79%, 76%, 69%, and 69%, respectively. It is believed that those with mild symptoms or who are asymptomatic have naturally lower antibody levels compared to those with severe symptoms.
Professor Takeharu Yamanaka of the university, who held a press conference, stated, “Those with mild symptoms will likely face some degree of reinfection with the mutated virus. A strategy of increasing antibody levels through vaccination is effective.” (Quoted from the Nikkei Shimbun)