London – Most people who have had COVID-19 has some immunity against contracting again for at least five months, according to a study by Public Health England. Research by the UK government health agency showed that someone who was infected is 83% less likely than someone without a previous infection to catch the coronavirus again in a five-month period.
The researchers noted, however, that someone who has been infected may still be able to carry the virus and pass it on to others, even if they don’t get sick again.
The period of partial immunity begins when someone becomes ill for the first time, according to the study.
The data comes from months of regular testing by healthcare professionals, both for active infections and for antibodies that indicate past infection, carried out by Public Health England across the UK since June.
The agency warned that the findings suggest people who succeeded sick with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring you may now be vulnerable to catching it again. He also warned that even if people who have already been sick can protect themselves, preliminary data from the next stage of the study showed that they may still carry high levels of the virus, and should still practice social and wear masks to avoid infecting other people.
“This study has given us the clearest picture so far of the nature of protecting antibodies against COVID-19, but it is critical that people don’t misunderstand these initial findings,” said Professor Susan Hopkins, senior medical consultant at Public Health England , in a statement.
“Now we know that most of those who have had the virus and developed antibodies are protected against 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 virus on. “
“Now, more than ever, it is vital that we all stay home to protect our healthcare and save lives,” emphasized Hopkins.
Scientists will continue to monitor the people involved in the study for a year to see how long the immunity lasts, how effective the vaccines are and to confirm whether people who have had the virus are still able to pass it on to others.
They will also work to determine whether a previous infection with COVID-19 can protect someone from getting sick with the new highly infectious variant of the virus that appeared at the end of last year in the south of England.