COVID-19 antibodies may last only 3 months after infection

By Doosuur Iwambe

As the world grapples with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new study suggests that antibodies -the proteins produced by the immune system that can grant protection against re-infection may fade in as little as two months after infection in certain people who have recovered from the virus, Daily Times gathered.

The study was conducted in China and published on the website of Nature Medicine. Specifically, the study’s authors found that people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms may see their antibodies fade more quickly than those who tested positive for the virus and also came down with its tell-tale symptoms.

The study, though small and with limitations, provides greater insight into a topic that mystifies scientists examining this new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Most people who have recovered from COVID-19 develop antibodies, but the extent and duration of that protection remains unknown.

Researchers from Chongqing Medical University in China compared the immune responses of 37 asymptomatic people diagnosed with COVID-19 to 37 symptomatic patients in the Wanzhou District of China.

Forty percent became negative for antibodies early on in their recovery, compared to just 13% of people who developed symptoms.

The asymptomatic patients also reported lower levels of cytokines, or small proteins released by different cells in the body in response to infection. These proteins, when uncontrolled, can cause hyper-inflammation.

The data suggests that asymptomatic people had a weaker immune response to the virus, echoing NIAID Director Anthony Fauci’s concerns about varying antibody protection.

Fauci said, “It isn’t a uniformly robust antibody response, which may be a reason why, when you look at the history of the common coronaviruses that cause the common cold, the reports in the literature are that the durability of immunity that’s protective ranges from 3 to 6 months to almost always less than a year’’.

The study leaves just as many questions as answers.

For example, scientists still do not know exactly what these dwindling antibody levels mean, and the lower levels do not necessarily imply that people who have already recovered from COVID-19 will be vulnerable to reinfection within a few months.

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However, the study’s authors said their results caution against “immunity passports,” or the idea that people who have recovered from infection should be granted some sort of special status to allow them to travel or return to work because they are theoretically totally immune from reinfection.

Though the study is not on large scale, the scientists said the findings should come as a strong note of caution against the idea of “immunity certificates” for people who have recovered from the illness.

“These results are interesting and provocative. More research is needed, following large numbers of people over time,” Daniel Davis, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, said.

“Only then will we clearly know how many people produce antibodies when infected with coronavirus, and for how long.”