A major study in the UK revealed that patients who recovered from COVID-19 are likely to be protected from reinfection.
This is due to the presence of more antibodies in them that will protect them from COVID-19 reinfection for at least six months.
According to scientists, the study measured levels of previous COVID-19 infection in people across Britain, including how long antibodies stayed in those infected. This may help assuage fears about reinfection, which is seen to be rare with the study’s findings.
Naomi Allen, professor and chief scientist at the UK Biobank that conducted the study, said that many “people retain detectable antibodies for at least six months after infection with the coronavirus.”
The study revealed that from those who were previously infected by COVID-19, 99 percent of them retained SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for three months, and a follow up among participants after six months showed they still had 88 percent of the antibodies in them.
Allen said the findings were also consistent with results of other studies done in other parts of the United Kingdom and in Iceland that showed antibodies to the coronavirus tended to stay for several months among those who previously contacted COVID-19 and recovered.