COVID-19 infection gives it some protection for at least 5 months: UK Study (Representative)
London:
People who have received COVID-19 are more likely to be immune for at least five months but there is evidence that those with antibodies could still carry and spread the virus, a UK study of healthcare workers found.
Preliminary findings by scientists at Public Health England (PHE) have shown that reactions in people with COVID-19 antibodies from past infection are rare – with only 44 cases detected among 6,614 previously infected people in the study.
But experts warned that the findings mean that people who caught the disease in the first wave of the pandemic in the early months of 2020 could now be vulnerable to relapse.
They also warned that people with “natural immunity” – acquired through infection – could still carry the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the nose and throat, and could pass it on. without his knowledge.
“We now know that most of those who contracted the virus, and developed antibodies, are protected from relapse, but this is not entirely the case and we do not yet know how as long as protection lasts, “said Susan Hopkins, senior medical consultant at PHE and co – director of the study, whose findings were announced Thursday.
“This means that even if you believe you already have the disease and are protected, you can be sure that it is very unlikely that you will develop serious diseases. There is still a risk that you could become infected and pass it on to others. “
A report on the study said its findings did not address antibody or other immune responses to vaccines that have now been released against COVID-19, or on the effectiveness of vaccines. Vaccine responses will be considered later this year, he said.
The study, called the SIREN study, includes tens of thousands of healthcare workers in Britain who have been routinely tested since June for new COVID-19 infections as well as for the presence of antibodies.
Between June 18 and November 24, scientists found 44 possible reactions – two “possible” and 42 “possible” – out of 6,614 participants who had tested positive for antibodies. This represents an 83% level of protection from relapse, they said.
The researchers plan to go ahead and evaluate the participants to see if this natural immunity lasts longer than five months in some. But they warned that early evidence from the next phase of the study already shows that some people with immunodeficiency can carry high levels of the virus and could pass it on to others.
“It is therefore vital that everyone continues to follow the rules and stay at home, even if they have had COVID-19 before,” they said in a statement of their findings.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from syndicated feed.)