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How long does one protect against coronavirus disease after suffering from a SARS-CoV-2 infection?
This is a question that pandemic researchers have long wanted an answer to, and it is now being investigated by a British research group.
In a recent study, published in the leading medical journal New England Journal of Medicine, researchers conclude that the presence of antibodies to coronavirus provides subsequent immunity in most people for at least six months.
The findings are also published in the renowned British Medical Journal.
– Well protected
The researchers studied 12,541 healthcare workers in four British hospitals for 31 weeks.
The study period included the two UK infection peaks in March-April and October-November 2020.
The researchers found that 1,265 healthcare workers, about 10 percent, tested positive for antibodies.
Furthermore, during the follow-up period, the researchers found no symptomatic infections in the healthcare workers with antibodies.
– In this study, which followed healthcare workers in four British hospitals, it was found that very few people with antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus contracted a new infection during the 31-week follow-up period, says the Deputy Director Espen Rostrup Nakstad at the Norwegian Health Directorate and continues:
– Only two people with antibodies took a new positive virus test during the period and neither of them had symptoms. This indicates that you are probably very well protected against a new infection, at least for six months, after having had COVID-19, says the deputy director of health.
– expected
Professor and infection control expert Jörn Klein from the University of Southeastern Norway believes that “the demonstration that existing antibodies after a primary infection with SARS-CoV-2 provide protection against reinfection” is very important.
“Although this is what many of us who have worked with viruses expected, it appears that this virus follows the conventional path of relative protection against reinfection,” says Klein.
The infection control expert believes the study provides useful answers, if not all, by showing that the presence of antibodies correlates with protection against reinfection lasting at least six months.
– The study was not designed to assess whether reinfections are contagious. Furthermore, the researchers did not assess T-cell immunity, so it is not yet clear whether protection is provided through antibodies, T-cell immunity, or both, Klein notes.
“Very rare event”
Just before Christmas, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) wrote that “reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 is a very rare event, and there are only a few published cases of confirmed reinfections in the world.”
Additionally, FHI wrote that data on antibody levels after coronavirus infections and experiences from other coronaviruses indicate that the risk of reinfection and disease is extremely small in the first three months after being infected.
After three months, a reinfection cannot be ruled out, although it is still rare, wrote FHI, which nonetheless indicated that one is probably protected longer:
“SARS-CoV-2 reinfection remains rare and it is reasonable to assume that in most cases there is persistent immunity to the disease even for 6 months, but we need more knowledge to better understand the immunology of SARS-CoV 2 infections and how long the protection lasts. »
