Evidence of immunity is a glimmer, but data show lasting Covid-19 damage

Emerging data on the body’s immune response suggest that “we may be protected” more than we currently believe, Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS and one of the experts leading the country’s novel coronavirus disease response, told The Indian Express.

However, the grim news is that Covid-19 is now a “systemic disease” that can affect not just the lungs, but the brain and kidneys as well, Dr Guleria said in a detailed interview.

Dr Guleria, who heads the clinical research group of the national Covid-19 task force, said that medical examination of patients with severe illness showed that even months after recovery, their lungs continued to be in “bad shape”, and they required oxygen at home.

Covid-19 patients were now suffering from strokes and neurological disorders, making the disease worse than just a respiratory infection, Dr Guleria, the country’s top pulmonologist, said.

“First we thought it