Covid Antibodies Persist At Least 9 Months After Infection: Study
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published July 19, 2021 | 06:30 PM
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2021 ) :Antibody levels remain high nine months after infection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, researchers have found.
Researchers from the University of Padua (Italy) and the Imperial College London tested more than 85 percent of the 3,000 residents of Vo' in Italy, in February and March 2020 for infection with SARS-CoV-2 and tested them again in May and November 2020 for antibodies against the virus.
The team found that 98.8 percent of people infected in February and March showed detectable levels of antibodies in November and there was no difference between people who had suffered symptoms of Covid-19 and those that had been symptom-free. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications.
Further, while all antibody types showed some decline between May and November, the rate of decay was different, depending on the test to track the antibody levels, Medical Daily reported.
The team also found cases of antibody levels increasing in some people, suggesting potential re-infections with the virus, providing a boost to the immune system.
"We found no evidence that antibody levels between symptomatic and asymptomatic infections differ significantly, suggesting that the strength of the immune response does not depend on the symptoms and the severity of the infection," said lead author Ilaria Dorigatti, from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial.
"However, our study does show that antibody levels vary, sometimes markedly, depending on the test used. This means that caution is needed when comparing estimates of infection levels in a population obtained in different parts of the world with different tests and at different times," Dorigatti added.
The team also investigated the infection status of household members. They found a probability of about 1 in 4 that a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 passes the infection to a family member and that most transmission (79 per cent) is caused by 20 per cent of infections.
This finding confirms that there are large differences in the number of secondary cases generated by infected people, with the majority of infections generating no further infections and a minority of the infections generating a large number of infections.
This suggests that behavioural factors are key for epidemic control, and physical distancing, as well as limiting the number of contacts and mask wearing, continue to be important to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease, even in highly vaccinated populations, the researchers said.
Recent Stories
UHS declares MBBS first prof, MS urology exam results
Separate coaches to be hired for ODIs, Test and T20I formats
Finance Minister calls for reforming tax system to improve country's economy
PM calls for joint efforts to check smuggling, power theft
Infinix Unveils a Vibrant New Chapter with Wahaj Ali: The face of Infinix NOTE 4 ..
PM makes two more appointments in his team
Terrorists of Shangla suicide attack will be brought to justice: Interior Minist ..
Applications Open for 6th Cycle of Start-up Incubation under the National Expans ..
Join vivo's "Light it Up" Social Media Contest in Ramadan to Win vivo V30 5G
Pakistan v New Zealand T20I series: Tickets to go on sale from today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 29 March 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 29 March 2024
More Stories From Pakistan
-
DPO conducts surprise night visit to assess security situation in Mardan
30 seconds ago -
LDA cracks down on parking violations across city
20 minutes ago -
NAB Lahore DG vows justice and compensation for victims
20 minutes ago -
Court awards death sentence to a criminal in murder case
21 minutes ago -
Accused of raping mentally-challenged girl arrested
21 minutes ago -
18 bootleggers, illegal weapon holders, kite sellers netted
31 minutes ago
-
Wheat procurement begins in district Sanghar, no role of middlemen: DC
31 minutes ago -
Maryam Nawaz approves Nawaz Sharif Kisan card
40 minutes ago -
WASA disconnects 177 connections of defaulters
40 minutes ago -
SHO, entire staff of police station suspended for taking bribe from kite makers
40 minutes ago -
Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Sani's Urs: Ministry executes computerized ballot for 200 devotees
40 minutes ago -
52 housing schemes declared illegal
41 minutes ago