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    Here's how your body gains immunity to coronavirus | Zania Stamataki

    Unprecedented efforts and diverted resources mean we are fast learning about human defences against this new threat Zania Stamataki is a viral immunologist Coronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
    by Zania Stamataki Apr 10, 2020 4 minutes
    ‘Experience has taught us that vaccines are able to eradicate infections from this planet.’ Illustration: James Melaugh/Guardian Design

    As the daughter of an air force officer and a nurse, I am fascinated by defence systems. There is none more impressive than the human immune system, equipped as it is with a rich arsenal to defend against different types of pathogen. Viruses have evolved to trick, bypass and evade these defences. Our immune systems have, in turn, learned to recognise and deter these virus stealth tactics. In Covid-19, the enemy is a tiny piece of genetic material wearing a lipid coat and a protein crown.

    So how is our immune system able to defend against viral infections, and how does this apply to Covid-19?

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