COVID-19: How Long Before Reinfection Happens

Experts from different health communities believe that a recovered patient will be able to build immunity against the virus but the span of the immunity is still unknown.

Frances Lund, professor, and chair of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Alabama, said "It is reasonable to believe we will have immunity after being infected. But saying we will have a lifelong immunity is still unclear. Though it is reasonable to think that one will have immunity for the rest of the season."

How Immunity Works

Antibodies are proteins found in the bloodstream, where they attack foreign intruders such as bacteria and viruses. The body is likely to create its own antibodies as responses to the coronavirus which can, later on, help health sectors create public health measures.

As of today, these antibodies from previously infected patients are explored as a treatment for severely ill patients who are unable to create enough antibodies to fight the virus on their own.

Experts believe they need to do further research, though they are confident to say that the coronavirus antibodies are likely to protect the patient from being infected again soon.

In an interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that if the virus acts like any other virus we know, it will provide you with immunity that will protect an individual from reinfection.

The length of the immunity is said to depend on several factors that will only be uncovered once research is thoroughly done.

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How long will the immunity last?

One factor that can tell how long the immunity will last is if the virus mutates. If the virus stays as it is, then those who were previously infected will be able to stop the virus from infecting them again since the antibodies present on their system will be able to detect it.

However, the coronavirus is an RNA, which means that it has a high tendency of mutating. Like the seasonal influenza virus, coronavirus may evolve year after year.

Another factor in preventing reinfection is the strength of the antibodies. The human body is able to produce antibodies as soon as a virus is detected but not all antibodies are strong. For the coronavirus, experts are still unable to identify if the coronavirus antibodies are high-quality ones.

If the virus is able to neutralize the virus and bind itself to a specific part that prevents the virus from attaching itself to the cell, the immunity may be strong but can weaken over time.

The antibodies gathered from previously infected individuals look promising as these were able to help the severely ill recover. Because of these results, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to use the experimental treatment in his state, the hardest hit in the United States.

Though the preliminary results keep the experts positive, they believe more studies can help them better understand the virus, thus they do not want to make any conclusions about immunity towards coronavirus.