Study Shows Covid Antibodies Are Maintained For Nine Months After Infection In severe and asymptomatic cases

Researchers from the Italian University of Padua and Imperial College London have shown that the level of antibodies generated in people with Covid-19 continues to be elevated for at least nine months after infection.

The research team found that the 98.8% of people infected in February and March showed detectable levels of antibodies in November, and that there was no difference between those who had suffered symptoms of coronavirus and those who had been asymptomatic.

The study was carried out on 3,000 Italian citizens and its results were revealed in the prestigious Nature scientific journal, where it was detailed that antibody levels were detected using three tests to detect different types of antibodies that respond to different parts of the virus.

In the results There have also been cases of increased antibody levels in some people, suggesting potential reinfection with the virus.. This would stimulate the immune system of those who survive the disease.

“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 severity of the infection“said lead author of the study, Ilaria Dorigatti, of the Center for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Emergency and Disease Analytics at Imperial College.

The scientist added, however, that the study shows that “antibody levels vary, sometimes remarkably, depending on the test used.”

“This implies that caution should be exercised when comparing estimates of infection levels in a population obtained from different parts of the world, with different tests at different times,” he said.

He also noted that “it is clear that the pandemic is not over, neither in Italy nor abroad” and that, to move forward, It is of fundamental importance to continue to administer the first and second doses of the vaccine as well as to strengthen surveillance systems such as contact tracing. “