Daily US Times: Most people who have had coronavirus are protected from catching Covid-19 again for at least five months, a recent study led by Public Health England shows. The study finds the immunity is longer than previously expected.
Past infection by the virus was linked to around a 83% lower risk of getting it again, compared with those who had never had Covid-19, scientists found.
But experts warn some people do catch the disease again – and can infect others.
And officials urged people should stay-at-home – whether or not they have had the virus.
The results were encouraging, suggesting immunity lasted longer than some people feared, but protection was by no means absolute, said Prof Susan Hopkins, who led the study.
It was particularly concerning some of those reinfected had high levels of the virus – even without any symptoms – and were at risk of passing it on to others, Prof Hopkins said.
The researcher said this means even if you believe you already had Covid-19 and are protected, you can be reassured it is highly unlikely you will develop severe infections again but there is still a risk that you could acquire an infection and transmit to others.
“Now more than ever, it is vital we all stay at home to protect our health service and save lives,” she added.
From June to November 2020, almost 21,000 healthcare workers across the United Kingdom were regularly tested to see whether they:
Of those who had no antibodies to the coronavirus, suggesting they may have never had it, 318 developed potential new Covid infections within this timeframe.
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