Growing Studies Suggest that COVID-19 Antibodies Decline Over Time
Different studies and researches suggest that COVID-19 antibodies of those who recovered from the virus disappear or decline in a matter of weeks or months.
The new coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is not the same as other viruses and diseases. Infections like Hepatitis A and measles is a one-and-done deal. This means that once you get infected with these diseases, you develop antibodies that protect you against the virus.
However, COVID-19 does not behave in that way. A growing body of studies and researches suggests that the antibodies developed by COVID-19 recovered patients do not last long. They only stay in the body for weeks or sometimes for months.
Florian Krammer, a vaccinologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told the Business Insider the case of COVID-19 is apparently different. Krammer also said that anyone can get repeatedly infected once the immunity or the antibodies go down.
Kramer's statement is supported by different studies and researches. New research published in the New England Journal of Medicines found out that the antibodies produced by COVID-19 recovered patients dropped during the first three months after a person is infected. It was also written in the study that the antibodies are cut by half every 36 days.
Moreover, the authors of the study also said that if the rate of antibody decay is sustained over time, it would disappear within about a year.
Another study also from the researchers in the United Kingdom showed earlier this month that the antibodies may last in just less than three months. However, the study in Spain suggested that the antibodies will only last from three to five weeks in some patients.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, hypothesized in April that people who recovered from that time would like to be immune by fall. Fauci said, "If we get infected in February and March and recover, next September, October, that person who's infected - I believe - is going to be protected."
However, a growing body of researches and studies state that the time frame might be shorter. In one of the studies, they observed and examined 36 patients who recovered from mild COVID-19 infection. They measured the antibodies of participants twice with an interval of 36 days. The researchers found out that the levels of antibodies decreased by about half at each interval.
Meanwhile, a study from the United Kingdom shows that the antibody completely disappears within three months. The researchers from the UK observed and examined 90 COVID-19 patients for antibodies over 94 days.
The result of their study showed that 60 percent of the patients developed a potent antibody response three weeks after the infection. According to a report published in The Guardian, that nearly17 percent of the 90 COVID-19 patients maintained that level of antibodies just a week after.
Additionally, the antibodies of other patients in the same study have declined 23-fold or became undetectable within three months.
These are just few of the published studies that show the decline of antibodies. Thus making it possible to be infected again for the virus.
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