People who have recovered from COVID-19 are likely to have a ‘robust’ and ‘long-lasting’ immunity that lasts for years, a new study indicates.
According to research published in “Science”, people who have recovered from COVID-19 have a very low risk of re-infection for at least five to eight months after contracting the virus due to the extremely high levels of immune memory – but now it seems that immunity lasts longer.
“There was originally a lot of concern that this virus would not cause much memory,” noted Shane Crotty, a researcher and co-author of the article. “Instead, the immune memory looks pretty good.”
After studying the blood samples of approximately 185 people who had previously been contracted and recovered from COVID-19, researchers found that 95 percent of the participants’ antibodies and T cell numbers decreased moderately after eight months after the original infection. resulting in longer immunity. Researchers have also found that B-cell numbers, another component to maintain immunity, have remained relatively unchanged or sometimes even increased months after recovery of the virus by the patient.
According to the study, the immune memory created by these higher-than-expected antibody, T-cell and B-cell numbers can help the body resume antibody production and coordinate an attack on the coronavirus to prevent and possibly re-infection. immunity for years, as with flu, smallpox and other diseases. Researchers also quickly noted that the same effect is likely to apply to immunity due to a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
One of the limitations of the study is that most people offered only one blood sample, which only gives a glimpse into their current immunity. Another limitation is that there remains a small proportion of people “with a weak immune memory” who may not benefit in the long run.
“Immunity varies from person to person, and unusual individuals with poor immune memory may still be susceptible to reinfection,” Crotty said.
Despite these possible setbacks, researchers have expressed hope that between the deployment of the vaccine and the growing herd immunity, “lasting immunity to secondary COVID-19 disease is a possibility in most individuals.”
Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and journalism.