COVID-19 Infection May Turbo-Charge Immunity, But Likely To Spread The Virus

Those worried about a COVID-19 relapse can finally heave a sigh of relief. A recent U.K. study on Wednesday highlighted that almost all people previously infected with COVID-19 have high levels of antibodies for at least six months that are likely to immunize them from getting re-infected.

“The vast majority of people retain detectable antibodies for at least six months after infection with the coronavirus,” said Naomi Allen, a professor and chief scientist at the U.K. Biobank—the area of study. “Although we cannot be certain how this relates to immunity, the results suggest that people may be protected against subsequent infection for at least 6 months following natural infection,” she added while enthusing that the findings of the study resonated with the results of other studies pertaining to that were conducted in the United Kingdom and Iceland.

The study inferred that among those who were tested positive for COVID-19, 99% retained antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 for at least three months. In a recheck about six months later; 88% of them still had them.

However, what also needs to be noted is that while those who were previously infected by the virus were likely to be immune for at least five months, they were still capable of being carriers of the disease.

“We now know that most of those who have had the virus, and developed antibodies, are protected from reinfection, but this is not total and we do not yet know how long protection lasts," said Susan Hopkins, senior medical adviser at PHE and co-leader of the study, as per Rappler.

“This means even if you believe you already had the disease and are protected, you can be reassured it is highly unlikely you will develop severe infections. But there is still a risk you could acquire an infection and transmit (it) to others,” she added.