When COVID-19 began to get
general attention worldwide after blowing up from being a local problem in
China, there were some understandable fears. Was it a deadly virus? Yes, as the
late-2019 deaths in Wuhan could attest. But catching COVID was no death
sentence either. So if a patient recovered then he was made immune? Apparently not,
but the antibody buildup from his previous infection could protect him from
catching it again so soon. From this was the basis of recovered COVID patients donating
plasma for research on a cure or vaccine. Then how long do COVID-19 antibodies
protect a person from a repeat infection?
As Inquirer.net tells it, a patient newly recovered from a bout with
COVID-19 can, under the best circumstances, enjoy around six months of
protection thanks to the antibodies he has built up against this pandemic-level
viral infection. That at least is what a study conducted in the UK has
determined, noted in the report they released Wednesday, January 3. UK Biobank
chief scientist Prof. Naomi Allen notes, “The vast majority of people retain
detectable antibodies for at least six months after infection with the
coronavirus.”
The study covered populations in
Britain that were hit by COVID. The first measure was in levels of previous
infection. The second was in persistence, or the duration of antibodies
remaining in a recovered person before disappearing with the lack of
coronavirus presence. The test subjects, former COVID patients, showed a remarkable
slow rate of antibody decline; after three months 99 percent of the subjects
still had anti-COVID antibodies, while 88 percent still had these after six
months. To Allen the results, while not definitive in regards to COVID
immunity, shows that antibodies gained from “natural infection” can protect
against subsequent infection for at least half a year. Thus, it would be rare
for a recovered patient to relapse quickly.
Prof. Allen adds that the UK
Biobank study on antibodies for COVID showed consistent results with other
research conducted in Britain as well as Iceland. These prior studies focused
on UK health workers who were infected and recovered, showing their antibody
protection as holding for several months. But while recovered patients are
safe, there is still a risk that they might carry the virus in their person,
and thus spread it unwittingly to others. Therefore, safety and protocol adherence
are still necessary for the recovered.
Image courtesy of BBC
0 comments:
Post a Comment