Thread by @akoz33

I posted this already several times before (there were also articles in the New York Times and The Atlantic).

science.sciencemag.org/content/368/64…

It may seem to be now obsolete because of the presence of specific vaccines but in view of the arguments about vaccinating children etc, it seems worth while to post my translation of a fragment of interview with Konstantin Chumakov about the importance of non-specific immunity,

interferon and why these well known tools are being totally ignored.

“Konstantin Mikhailovich, even at the beginning of the pandemic, you said that the live polio vaccine could largely solve the problem of the new coronavirus infection. Do you still think so or has your opinion changed?

Of course it could if there was a will do use it. This is where the whole problem is: it is too simple a solution. Most scientists don't want competition. Now everyone is making specific vaccines. Governments allocate billions of dollars to this.

And polio vaccine costs 15 cents a dose. Therefore, nobody is interested in it.

But if we put aside the economic aspects and talk from a purely medical point of view - can you explain the effectiveness of this vaccine in the case of coronavirus?

From a medical point of view, it is absolutely clear that this it must work.

Firstly, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as many other viruses, is very afraid of innate immunity. It contains several genes that disrupt the mechanisms of innate immunity, signaling,

which leads to the formation of interferon. If the virus were not afraid of interferon and innate immunity, it would not waste its precious genetic material to fight it.

Second. Genetic analysis of people who have had coronavirus shows that the severity of the disease correlates precisely with the functioning of the innate immunity system.

In particular, people who have sensor defects that detect the presence of RNA viruses get sick much more seriously.

The third proof is related to the fact that experiments on the use of interferon in the early stages of infection greatly facilitate the course of the disease. Interferon got its name because it interferes with the reproduction of practically all viruses.

It is also known that SARS-CoV-2 does not induce interferon very well due to genes that block the signaling leading to the induction of interferon. All these data indicate that, most likely, the induction of innate immunity mechanisms should prevent this virus.

But, unfortunately, practically none of those who work in the field of creating vaccines do not take into account the innate immunity of the ĸaĸ factor in the mechanism of their action. Everyone only cares about the induction of neutralizing antibodies.

Some people still think about the induction of T-cell immunity, but innate immunity, which is the basis of everything, remains outside the discussion. This is totally wrong.

Therefore, it seems to me that the use of nonspecific defense, which is induced by live virus vaccines, is a completely new, promising approach to understanding how vaccines work.”