Study: Mild COVID-19 has lasting antibody protection

Study on SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans shows those who had mild infections have long-lasting antibody protections

A study published May 24 says that people who have had a mild case of COVID-19 have lasting antibody protections.

The study was highlighted on the website of the Washington School of Medicine St. Louis. Researchers from that organization published the study, titled “SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans.”

“Last fall, there were reports that antibodies wane quickly after infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, and mainstream media interpreted that to mean that immunity was not long-lived,” said senior author Ali Ellebedy, PhD, an associate professor of pathology & immunology, of medicine and of molecular microbiology. “But that’s a misinterpretation of the data. It’s normal for antibody levels to go down after acute infection, but they don’t go down to zero; they plateau. Here, we found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after first symptoms. These cells will live and produce antibodies for the rest of people’s lives. That’s strong evidence for long-lasting immunity.”

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