- How long does immunity to coronavirus last after infection? The CDC quietly published the first defined COVID-19 immunity period on its website.
- The virus is too young for healthcare professionals to have an accurate time frame for protection against reinfection.
- The CDC quarantine page was updated a few days ago with information that provides a minimum period of immunity.
How long does immunity against novel coronavirus last? That is a question that health officials cannot answer for sure, because COVID-19 does not have long enough to tell. But it is an answer that we need not only for vaccine development but also for the next stages of pandemic management. How long is a COVID-19 survivor protected? How bad would a second COVID-19 bolt be for people who already had it?
Scientists initially said that immunity to coronavirus may be similar to the immunity we get from the other human coronaviruses that occur in colds. That’s anywhere from six to 12 months, and that’s how long we expect faxes to last as well. Recent data showed that neutralizing antibodies can disappear from the bloodstream within three months, but the immune system also has backed up T cells that can kill the virus upon reinfection by kickstarting the production of antibodies. These cells live longer than antibodies, although it is unclear how long they will last. It is also believed that exposure to human coronaviruses that cause colds provides some protection against the virus.
Health authorities have not provided a clearly defined period for immunity to coronavirus because there are not enough scientific data to make any of these. However, that has recently changed, as the CDC quietly updated one of its key guidelines with information explicitly stating a COVID-19 immunity timeframe.
The COVID-19 quarantine page on the CDC website explains when someone should isolate themselves if they think they have been in contact with a COVID-19 patient, and it offers several quarantine scenarios. The page was updated on August 3 with information indicating that people who test positive for COVID-19 should not be quarantined if they have had it in the past three months. Survivors of COVID-19 should not seek re-testing for more than three months:
People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 – except people who have had COVID-19 in the past 3 months.
People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to be quarantined or retested for up to three months, as long as they do not develop symptoms again. People who develop symptoms within 3 months of their first COVID-19 attack may need to be re-evaluated if no other cause is identified for their symptoms.
Here’s how the CDC presents that information now:
And here’s what the page looked like before the August 3 changes:
A CDC spokesman clarified The Hill that “it is important that these individuals remain socially aloof, wear masks, and practice good hand hygiene until scientists know more about long-term immunity to COVID.”
The infection had been with us for more than seven months before the CDC updated the site of quarantine. It is unclear what caused the change, but it is likely that the page will continue to be updated as we learn more about COVID-19 immunity. Immunity to Coronavirus can last for more than three months, considering how rarely we hear news about reinfections. What we do know for sure is that some COVID-19 patients have experienced symptoms within weeks or months of clearing the virus. However, they are not infected for the second time, according to extensive research by CDC Korea.
Chris Smith began writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on tech things with readers all over the world. Every time he does not write about gadgets, he manages to get away with it, even though he tries desperately. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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