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A new study suggests that antibodies against COVID-19 in patients who have contracted SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection after three months are declining sharply.
- Research by researchers at King’s College London suggests that resistance to SARS-CoV-2 is short-lived. COVID-19 antibodies decline at different rates depending on the severity of the disease
- Short-term immunity to COVID-19 forces us to change our minds about the vaccine. One dose of the vaccine will probably not be enough
COVID-19 antibodies disappear too quickly
This is another study that shows that antibodies against COVID-19 do not stay in the body as long as we would like. Researchers at King’s College London analyzed the immune responses of more than 90 patients and healthcare professionals at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS and found that antibody levels capable of neutralizing the coronavirus peaked approximately three weeks after the onset of symptoms of infection.
Blood tests showed that 60 percent. of patients showed a strong antibody response at the peak of the fight against the virus, but only 17 percent. had an equally high response three months after infection. Antibody levels dropped 23 times during this time. In some of the respondents, they were even undetectable.
“People develop a reasonable antibody response to the coronavirus, but it wears off in a short time. It lasts shorter in some, longer in others, ‘said Dr Katie Doores, lead author of the study.
The study contributes to the development of a vaccine against COVID-19. It also shows that we may not get herd immune to COVID-19 because the antibodies wear off in a short time. The immune system fights the coronavirus in many ways, but if antibodies are the primary line of defense, research suggests that we may be re-infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, just like the flu.
See also:
- Over 6 percent Sweden’s population has antibodies to COVID-19. “This is a weaker result”
- COVID-19 antibodies disappear after 2-3 months? New research
- Virologist on the prospect of a COVID-19 vaccine and the work of Poles that can help in this
Will vaccination against COVID-19 be seasonal?
“If an infection is followed by a reduction in antibody levels within two or three months, so will the vaccine that safely provokes an immune response. One dose of COVID-19 vaccination may not be enough»Added Doores.
We also learn from a study by Doores and her colleagues that antibody levels were higher and also lasted longer in people who underwent severe COVID-19. The researchers suggest that this may be because they had a higher viral load and therefore the body had to make more antibodies to fight the infection.
Prof. Jonathan Heeney, a virologist at the University of Cambrigde, said the latest research confirms what has been observed so far: resistance to COVID-19 is short-term. According to the professor, this destroys the concept of herd immunity.
«I must stress how important it is for the public to understand that contracting this virus [SARS-CoV-2] is not a good thing. Part of the population, especially young people, began to ignore the threat a bit, believing that even if they fell ill, it would contribute to the herd’s immunity. Meanwhile, they not only put themselves at risk, but also put others at risk, who may develop serious complications as a result of the infection »- translator Heeney.
However, it is also worth mentioning that antibodies are only part of the immune response that emerges in the fight against COVID-19. There is growing evidence that the T cells that the body produces to fight the common cold may also play a protective role against reinfection with the coronavirus. ‘We can expect that a reinfection would be less severe for a previously infected person because it has retained an immune memory so that the body can react faster,’ explained Professor Robin Shattock of Imperial College London.
It is likely that the COVID-19 vaccine, if invented and approved, will require annual booster vaccinations, similar to flu vaccines.
The editorial board recommends:
- «Vaccine development continues as fast as COVID-19 spreads»
- The Americans will start producing the vaccine before the end of clinical trials
- Prof. Pyrć: We have been trying to develop a coronavirus vaccine for 20 years