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The vast majority of people who contract Covid-19 still have antibodies at least six months after infection, a new study of more than 20,000 people has shown.
About 88% of participants who tested positive for a previous infection retained antibodies for six months, according to the report by UK Biobank, a large biomedical database. The number was 99% at three months.
The results follow other smaller studies that indicate a level of immunity following natural infection for at least 6 months. Health officials said the duration of vaccine protection was still unclear, and the increase in mutated virus strains could mean vaccines may need to be updated periodically to maintain their effectiveness.
Read more: Can You Get Covid Twice? What do reinfection cases mean: QuickTake
The study ran from late May to early December, based on monthly blood samples and data on potential symptoms from Biobank participants, their adult children and grandchildren.
The most common symptom associated with the presence of anti-Covid antibodies was loss of taste and smell, which was reported by 43% of participants. About a quarter were completely asymptomatic.
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