Getting infected with COVID-19 can protect people for up to five months, possibly longer, according to a new UK study.
The Public Health England (PHE) SIREN study was conducted among approximately 20,000 healthcare professionals and found that only 44 participants out of 6,614 who had COVID-19 antibodies experienced ‘possible’ reinfection during recruitment – which an 83% lower chance of infection compared to those without antibodies. The study was conducted between June 18 and November 24.
Antibody infection has lasted on average about five months, since the participants were first infected, SIREN found.
“We now know that most of those who have had the virus and developed antibodies are protected against reinfection, but it is not total and we do not yet know how long protection lasts. It is important that we believe that people still can still pass on the virus, “said SIREN supervisor and PHE Senior Medical Advisor Susan Hopkins in a statement on Wednesday.
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SIREN found that only two participants experienced ‘probable’ re-infections among the 6,614 participants with COVID-19 antibodies, representing a less than 1% ‘probable’ recurrent infection. Cases have been identified as “possible” or “probable” based on “the amount of evidence available.”
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Hopkins added that people who have already contracted COVID-19 “may be reassured that it is highly unlikely that they will ‘contract serious infections’, but re-infections can still transmit the virus to others.
Only about 30% of participants with antibodies re-infected reported symptoms compared to about 78% of those first infected with the virus, Hopkins explained in a press release, according to Nature.com.
These results will still not apply to every person infected with COVID-19. For example, one study published in August shows an example of a man in Nevada who experiences severe COVID-19 symptoms after being infected with the virus again.
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Researchers in Nevada have found that a person’s initial exposure to COVID-19 ‘may not result in a level of immunity that is 100% protective for all individuals.’ Researchers also noted in the introduction that immunity with other forms of coronavirus can be lost within one to three years.
“Now, more than ever, it is important that we all stay home to protect our health care and save lives,” Hopkins said in her Wednesday statement.
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SIREN researchers will continue to study participants over the next year to see how long COVID-19 immunity lasts among people previously infected with the virus.