COVID-19 Antibodies Last For 5-7 Months, Provide Enduring Immunity: Study

New York: A study published in the journal ‘Immunity’ has discovered that ‘high-quality antibodies’ are produced even several months after contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

The research team led by an Indian-origin researcher in the United States of America (USA) studied a sample of around 6,000 people for the production of antibodies.

“We clearly see high-quality antibodies still being produced five to seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the study author Deepta Bhattacharya from the University of Arizona in the US was quoted as saying by IANS.

The team looked for antibodies over several months in people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. They found out that antibodies exist in blood tests at viable levels for at least five to seven months, however, they believe immunity lasts far more longer.

“The latest time-points we tracked in infected individuals were past seven months, so that is the longest period of time we can confirm immunity lasts. That said, we know that people who were infected with the first SARS coronavirus, which is the most similar virus to SARS-CoV-2, are still seeing immunity 17 years after infection,” Bhattacharya informed.

If SARS-CoV-2 is like the initial SARS virus, the researchers expect antibodies to last for at least two years, IANS reported.