The neutralizing antibodies that the immune system produces against the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be detected at least nine months after infection, but not everyone has enough of them, Nature reports. quoted by Standard News.
Chen Wang of Beijing Medical College and colleagues took blood samples from more than 9,500 people in about 3,500 randomly selected households in Wuhan, the first place COVID-19 infection was detected.
The team took samples three times in 2020: once in April after the city blockade was lifted; once in June; and again between October and December.
Samples were tested for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, which showed that a person had been infected with the coronavirus.
The researchers found that only 7% of the population was infected, of which over 80% had no symptoms.
About 40% of those infected produced neutralizing antibodies that could be detected throughout the study period.
The researchers concluded that most people in Wuhan were still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and that a mass vaccination campaign was needed to achieve collective immunity.
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