Those infected by the coronavirus would afterwards be immune to the disease for at least five months, according to preliminary results of a study by Public Health England.
20,787 UK health workers participated in the study to determine whether past infections protect against future infections. Preliminary results show that the antibodies provide 83 percent protection against a new infection.
Immune for at least five months
According to the report, someone infected with the virus would be immune to corona for at least five months. Re-infections in people who have produced antibodies were rather rare. Experts identified only 44 potential re-infections in 6,614 participants who produced antibodies.
Nevertheless, there is an important comment to be made about the investigation. Initial results indicate that a small proportion of people with antibodies could still carry the virus. Which means that they can infect other people. “That is why it remains important to continue to monitor the corona measures,” said Public Health England.
Continue to respect measures
The study has not yet been reviewed by other experts or published in a medical journal. The authors emphasize that the results are an interim analysis of the data collected between June and November.
“The study gives us the clearest picture yet of how the antibodies protect us against the virus,” said Susan Hopkins, a medical advisor at Public Health England. ‘It remains important not to misinterpret those early results.’
‘People who have contracted the virus will in all likelihood enjoy temporary protection, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they can still become infected and therefore pose a risk of infection to other people’, it sounds.
To date, there is also no consensus on how long the vaccines protect against the virus. Furthermore, it is not clear whether a vaccinated person can pass the virus on to someone else.
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