People who have recovered from the new coronavirus may have less than 90 days of immunity, according to a new study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
What is happening?
The new study looked at 156 health professionals in the U.S. who tested positive for COVID-19. Workers perform an antibody test one month after developing symptoms and then another one about 60 days later.
- 94% of participants showed some kind of decline in antibodies at the time of the second test.
- 28% experienced a significant decline.
Why does it matter
Questions about how long antibodies have been around since the pandemic began. For example, in October, a study showed that antibodies lose strength over time. Likewise, research in July suggested that antibodies have a half-life of 73 days, meaning that half of the antibodies would die in 73 days.
The CDC was very clear about what it means: “Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 decrease in the weeks after acute infection. The negative serological results of SARS-CoV-2 do not exclude previous infection, which has significant impacts on how serological studies are interpreted. “
KSTP medical expert Dr. Archelle Georgiou said the significant decline in antibodies is a sign that people who have recovered from COVID-19 may not be safe from the virus.
- “The 28% had such a drop in their antibody levels in 60 days that it would be highly unlikely that they would be protected from being reinfected,” said Georgiou. “I really think people should abandon the belief that you are safe in terms of being reinfected or infecting others again just because you already had COVID-19.”