COVID-19 antibodies can last up to 10 months after infection

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-08-31 01:00

International

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Those who have been infected with COVID-19 could be at a lower risk of re-infection for up to 10 months, according to international research. The researchers tested the blood serum of healthcare workers previously infected with COVID-19 to see how long antibodies lasted in their system. 59 participants were tested less than 100 days after infection, 40 were tested between 100-200 days after infection and 33 were tested more than 200 days after infection. 88 per cent, 75 per cent and 76 per cent of those groups respectively still had antibodies when tested. The researchers say while it is still not fully known how well antibodies represent immunity to COVID-19, their results suggest protection from reinfection could last longer than previously thought.

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA

Funder: This study was supported through the generosity of the collective community of donors to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Health System for COVID research. Research reported in this publication was also supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number K24AI141580 (Dr Milstone).

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