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Tuesday 27 October 2020
A study from Britain once again feeds doubts about lifelong immunity after a Covid 19 infection. As a result, antibodies in the blood of the British population have dropped rapidly since the summer. Which can affect not only immunity but also a vaccine.
The percentage of people with corona antibodies in England has dropped dramatically, according to a new study from Imperial College London. Over the past three months, the number of antibody carriers has decreased by 26%. This fact raises concerns about reinfection. The decline is faster, especially in older people. The results come from the React-2 study, which tested 365,000 randomly selected citizens across the country.
The study found that as of mid-September this year, only 4.4% of those tested had recognizable antibodies to the coronavirus in their bodies. At the end of June it was 6 percent. Study co-author Graham Cooke says these data suggest the possibility that a decrease in population immunity leads to an increased risk of reinfection.
Immunity even without antibodies?
Rare cases of a second coronary infection had already raised questions about immunity to the virus. A study from the Chinese University of Chongqing also showed that the amount of antibodies in the blood of recovered Covid-19 patients can significantly decrease within two to three months. Researchers at King’s College London have already discovered the same thing. After three months in 90 confirmed cases, high concentrations of coronavirus antibodies could only be detected in 16.7% of blood samples. In many patients, they found no antibody after three months. It is therefore possible that immunity cannot be assumed in every case. As with flu viruses, this could only last a few months.
Experience with other coronaviruses has suggested that immunity may not last long, according to Imperial College scientists. At the same time, however, they also pointed out that the rapid decline in antibodies does not necessarily impact the efficacy of corona vaccine candidates who are currently in clinical trials. “A good vaccine could be better than natural immunity.”
Antibodies are protective proteins produced in response to infection. But they are only part of the immunity. University College London expert Mala Maini pointed out in the summer that immunity is not based solely on antibodies; For example, immune cells also played a role. “Even if antibodies are not detectable in the blood, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no protective immunity,” Maini said at the time.
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