Being infected with COVID-19 can protect people from infection for up to five months, possibly longer, shows a new study from the United Kingdom.
The Public Health England’s (PHE) SIREN study was conducted among some 20,000 health professionals and found that only 44 participants out of 6,614 who had COVID-19 antibodies at recruitment experienced “possible” reinfection – representing an 83% lower chance of infection in comparison for those without antibodies. The study was carried out between June 18 and November 24.
The antibody infection lasted about five months, on average, from the moment the participants were first infected, SIREN found.
“Now we know that the majority of people who have had the virus and developed antibodies are protected from reinfection, but that is not total and we still don’t know how long the protection lasts. Crucially, we believe that people may still be able to transmit the linked virus “said the head of the SIREN study and senior medical consultant to PHE, Susan Hopkins, in a statement on Wednesday.
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Only two participants experienced “probable” reinfections among the 6,614 participants with COVID-19 antibodies, representing less than 1% of “probable” repeated infection, SIREN found. The cases were identified as “possible” or “probable” based on the “amount of available confirmatory evidence”.
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Hopkins added that people who have already contracted COVID-19 can “be sure it is highly unlikely” that they “will develop serious infections”, but reinfections can still transmit the virus to others.
Only about 30% of participants with antibodies who were reinfected reported symptoms compared with about 78% of those who were infected with the virus for the first time, Hopkins explained during a press release, according to Nature.com.
Still, these results will not ring true for all people infected with COVID-19. A study published in August, for example, shows the example of a Nevada man who developed severe symptoms of COVID-19 after being infected again with the virus.
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Nevada researchers found that a person’s initial exposure to COVID-19 “may not result in a 100% protective immunity level for all individuals.” The researchers also noted in the introduction that, with other forms of coronavirus, immunity can be lost in one to three years.
“Now, more than ever, it is vital that we all stay home to protect our healthcare and save lives,” Hopkins said in his statement on Wednesday.
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SIREN researchers will continue to study participants over the next year to see how long the COVID-19 immunity lasts for people who have already been infected with the virus.