Even people with antibodies can spread the virus

(Journalist)
– A preliminary study on COVID offers two takeaways: First, most of those who contract the infection appear to be immune for at least five months afterwards. And second, even those who have antibodies might be able to spread the infection to others. The results come from a study of 21,000 healthcare workers in the UK, CNN reports. One caveat: the study has not yet been peer reviewed. Regarding immunity, the study found that people who tested positive for COVID had an 83% lower risk of catching it again within five months. This is roughly the effectiveness rate of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines (94% -95%) currently distributed, note Forbes. However, researchers cannot say for sure how long beyond five months immune protection lasts. The troubling part of the results concerned the ability of people with antibodies to spread the virus further.

“We found people with very high amounts of the virus in their nasal and throat swabs, which would easily be in the range that would cause levels of transmission to other people,” says Susan Hopkins of Public Health England and co. -responsible for the study. The result is that the researchers say everyone, including those with antibodies, should continue to take the usual precautions with masks and social distancing, according to Reuters. “These data reinforce the message that, at the moment, everyone is a potential source of infection for others and should behave accordingly,” says Eleanor Riley of the University of Edinburgh, who has no participated in the study. In terms of raw numbers, of the 21,000 people in the study, 6,614 tested positive for antibodies. Of the latter group, 44 possible re-infections were discovered (double masks may be even better.)