COVID-19 Patients Retain Cellular Immunity For At Least 6 Months, Says Study
The study is a first that shows data on T-cell levels nearly six months after they were first infected -- whether mild symptoms or even asymptomatic.
While COVID-19 is still spreading around the world like wildfire and with no vaccine out yet to protect us, people have put faith in developing a strong immune response against the novel coronavirus.
People who already have gotten infected with the virus have developed antibodies which are helping them against re-infection. However, studies have shown that these antibodies aren¡¯t in the body for long and eventually phase out in just two to three months.
Reuters
However, now, researchers have discovered that even with the antibodies phasing out, T-cells in our body are seen to offer immunity against the novel coronavirus nearly six months after the first infection.
This is according to a study (yet to be peer-reviewed) led by the UK coronavirus immunology consortium that looked at 100 non-hospitalised healthcare workers in the months of March and April after they were found to possess antibody responses.
The study is a first that shows data on T-cell levels nearly six months after they were first infected -- whether mild symptoms or even asymptomatic. Researchers discovered that every individual showed detectable levels of T-cells. Moreover, these levels were 50 percent higher in people who had symptoms at the time of infection.
According to researchers, this indicates that either people with severe variants of the disease have additional protection, as well as people with asymptomatic cases, were capable of taming the novel coronavirus with lower levels of T-cells.
Reuters
Researchers are working on tracking a larger set of patients for a longer timeframe to better understand cellular immunity.
One of the authors of the study, Paul Moss, who is a professor at the University of Birmingham explains, ¡°I think this data is reassuring, potentially even encouraging ¡ª but it does not mean that people cannot get reinfected. We now need large-scale population studies to show how the antibody and cellular profiles act together to protect people over time.¡±
