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It is the basic principle of any vaccine. Once the infection is over, the body is immune to the virus because your immune system has produced enough antibodies. The vaccine simulates the disease, so to speak, so that the body arms itself with the formation of antibodies against the infection. With the new Sars-CoV-2, previous studies contradicted each other, which is why some doubted that Covid-19 patients were really immune in the long term after their recovery. Also the federal working group Covid-19.
Three basic questions about immunity
Now, two current studies confirm exactly that. At Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, 30,802 Covid-19 patients were examined to answer three basic questions: First, how strong is the concentration of antibodies after an infection has passed, and second, the ability of the antibodies to neutralize the virus, and third, the duration of the antibody response.
The large US study, published in the renowned journal “Science,” shows that no drop in immune response was observed over a five-month observation period. The robust, neutralizing antibodies persist for months against Sars-CoV-2 infections, writes study leader Ania Wajnberg. The antibody concentration was very high in 90 percent of the Covid 19 patients. And that in patients who have only had mild to moderate Covid 19 disease, as New York virologists write.
The researchers also answered yes when asked whether the antibodies protect against reinfection. If patients have antibodies in the blood that bind to the virus’s binding site with the target cell, the so-called spike protein, and are therefore neutralizing. Overall, 94 percent of the patients examined had a neutralizing immune response. “That can be judged as a very good immune response,” writes Pietro Vernazza, an infectious disease specialist from St. Gallen, on his blog at infect.ch.
Short-term symptoms and long-term immunity.
In another study, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston looked at blood and cell samples from patients who had recovered from mild to moderate Covid-19. Some of the patients were found to develop long-term antibodies, while others showed slow degradation of the antibodies. Those who had high levels of antibodies for months were also those whose symptoms resolved quickly. This suggests that some people who recover faster from Covid-19 may develop a more effective and long-lasting immune response to the virus. Researchers are now interested in what leads to this combination of rapid healing and long-lasting immunity. This could help you better understand the immune system.
Get more out of antibody testing
Given that lack of immunization has so far been assumed based on previous studies, the results of these studies could lead to reconsideration of certain antibody diagnostics and instructions. For example, people who have already been through a Covid-19 infection do not return to quarantine if they come into contact with the virus again. Or that an existing antibody test showing that an infection has passed is accepted as evidence of a significantly reduced risk of infection, as Vernazza demands on his blog. The knowledge that those who have recovered have effective antibody protection can make life easier for many people. Medical staff could get back to work quickly. And many people would be less scared if they could do an antibody test that shows them that they can no longer be infected.
