Daily US Times: Researchers say levels of protective antibodies in people wane “quite rapidly” after coronavirus infection.
Antibodies are a key part of our immune defence system and stop the coronavirus from getting inside the body’s cells.
A team from the Imperial College London found the number of people testing positive for antibodies has fallen by 26% between June and September.
They say immunity appears to be fading and there is a risk of catching Covid-19 multiple times.
The news comes as figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of coronavirus deaths in the UK rose by 60% in the week of 16 October.
The ONS figures suggest there have now been more than 60,000 Covid-19 deaths in the UK.
As part of the REACT-2 study, more than 350,000 people in England have taken an antibody test so far.
About 60 in 1,000 people had detectable antibodies in the first round of testing, at the end of June and the beginning of July.
But in the latest set of tests, which took place in September, only 44 per 1,000 people were positive.
It suggests the number of people with antibodies fell by more than a quarter between summer and autumn.
Prof Helen Ward, one of the researchers, said: “Immunity is waning quite rapidly, we’re only three months after our first [round of tests] and we’re already showing a 26% decline in antibodies.”
The fall was greater in those over 65, compared with younger age groups, and in those without symptoms compared with those with full-blown Covid-19.
The number of healthcare workers with Covid-19 antibodies remained relatively high, which the researchers suggest may be due to regular exposure to the virus.
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