b"Medicine & Research Doctors NotesIn this months column Ben Thrower, M.D., MSFocus senior medical advisor, focuses his analysison COVID-19.Christine Willis, MLIS, AHIP, is the ClinicalInformation Librarian at Children's Healthcare ofAtlanta, Egleston Hospital.The year 2020 has been interesting, in part and may have immunity against futurebecause of the global COVID-19 pandemic infections. This is not entirely clear, however.we are living through. For people living with Some people seem to mount antibodiesMS, there are many questions surrounding to the virus and then have them go away.COVID-19.Earlyoninthepandemic,we These people could still have immunity,could really only speculate about the rela- however, through the other major part of ourtionship between MS and this novel coron- immune system, the cellular immune re-avirus. Fortunately, there is data coming in sponse. Research has also shown that manynow to help guide us.people appear to have cellular immunity toInformation on COVID-19 has been both COVID-19 even though theyve never beenabundantandattimesconfusing. Weare infected. This may come from prior exposurelearningnewthingseverydayaboutthis toothercoronavirusesthatare relatedtovirus. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that is COVID-19. All of these immunological factorstransmitted through both large droplets and continue to be researched and will have bigaerosolized smaller droplets. Early on, it was implications for vaccine development andfelt that transmission was also common the concept of herd immunity.through contact with hard surfaces, but this Fortunately, MS is not one of the healthappears to be less common. Most people conditions that would put people at higherwho contract COVID-19 will have mild risk for contracting COVID-19 or having asymptoms and recover completely. The risk more severe case of it. Multiple data sets arefor hospitalization or death goes up in the available now, including the COViMS Registryelderly and in the presence of other health (www.covims.org),datafromFrance,Italyissues such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and from individual MS drug manufacturers.or COPD. Younger children (under 10) appear As of the time of this writing, the COViMSto be less aected. Pediatric hospitalizations registry has information on 777 individualsanddeathshavebeenuncommon,fortu- with MS who have contracted COVID-19. Ofnately. these, 77 percent have laboratory conrmedTestingforanactiveinfectionisdone infections, while 23 percent are suspected cases.through a nasal swab. There is also a blood 84 percent of people with MS who contractedtest for antibodies to the virus. In theory, the COVID-19 have recovered or are recovering.presenceofCOVID-19antibodieswould 6 percent of those with MS who contractedindicate the person has had a prior infection COVID-19 died. Just over 3 percent of thosemsfocusmagazine.org 54"