A person recovering from COVID-19 is likely to be safe from reinfection for three months, according to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The information marks the first recognition of a defined period of immunity for people who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection.
Preliminary research has shown that antibodies from recovering patients will disappear within a few months, but federal scientists had not previously said what that means for immunity.
The CDC has previously recommended that anyone recovering from a COVID-19 infection should not be tested again for three months, as long as that person is asymptomatic, but made clear that any correlation with immunity was not yet known.
The CDC made no formal announcement of the findings; rather, the information was included as part of broader guidance on quarantine that was last updated earlier this month.
According to the agency, people who have been in close contact with someone who needs to be quarantined COVID-19 14 days, 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 re-develop symptoms within 3 months of their first COVID- attack “19 may be tested again if no other cause is identified for their symptoms,” the CDC said.
A CDC spokesman said that while it is unlikely that anyone will re-infect or infect others in the three-month period, “it is important these individuals continue to socialize, wear masks and practice good hand hygiene until scientists know more about immunity.” in the long run against COVID. “
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