6/12/21 5:45 Natural immunity to COVID-19 may be long-lasting | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Natural immunity to COVID-19 may be long-lasting

Until now, we didn’t know how long immunity after infection with COVID-19 would last – new
research suggests it could be long-lasting.

20 November 2020

178k
Shares

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH ABOUT? 

Scientists have wondered whether immunity to the SARS-

CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 would be long-lasting;
this might affect the effectiveness of vaccines, for
example. However, research indicating that antibodies
may not be long-lasting is only part of the story, since
antibodies are just one element of the immune response
to pathogens.

WHAT DID THE RESEARCHERS DO?

In this pre-print, scientists looked at immunity to SARS-

CoV-2 in 185 people with COVID-19, 41 of whom were
more than six months past the initial infection. Most of
the people studied had mild symptoms and had not
required hospitalisation. The researchers looked at four
elements of the immune response – antibody levels,
memory B cells (that remember the pathogen and when
exposed to it again, trigger a rapid antibody response)
and T cells (CD4 and CD8, that can help B cells or kill
infected cells, respectively).

Have you read?

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/natural-immunity-covid-19-may-be-long-lasting 1/3
6/12/21 5:45 Natural immunity to COVID-19 may be long-lasting | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

The Gavi COVAX AMC Explained

There are four types of COVID-19 vaccines: here’s how they
work
5 ways COVID-19 is exacerbating global poverty

WHAT DID THEY FIND? 

The researchers found that people with COVID-19 seemed

to have fairly robust and long-lasting immune responses.
They found that antibodies lasted well, with a small drop
in levels at 6-8 months after infection. They also found
that T cells levels reduced slightly, and B cells increased –
a finding they can’t explain. The scientists emphasise that
these findings are not conclusive evidence of long-lasting
protective immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection because
the mechanisms of immunity after COVID-19 have not
been explicitly described.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

The study suggests that immunity triggered by SARS-CoV-

2 infection could last longer than previously thought. The
researchers say that long-lasting antibody levels and
immune memory cells could potentially lessen the severity
of a re-infection.
TOPICS: COVID-19

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

RELATED CONTENT

Omg, Omicron! Why it’s too soon to panic about

COVID vaccines and the new variant

COVID-19

3 December 2021

When will life return to normal after the pandemic?

COVID-19

2 December 2021

A Ghanaian doctor’s perspective on COVID-19

vaccine inequity

Country stories COVID-19

2 December 2021

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/natural-immunity-covid-19-may-be-long-lasting 2/3
6/12/21 5:45 Natural immunity to COVID-19 may be long-lasting | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

The COVID-19 vaccine race

COVID-19 COVAX

1 December 2021
Growing viral: health, hope, and happiness in the
time of COVID and HIV

COVID-19 Educational Photo stories

1 December 2021

Mask wearing wasn’t disputed in previous crises – so

why is it so hotly contested today?

Influenza Educational COVID-19

1 December 2021

VIEW MORE 

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/natural-immunity-covid-19-may-be-long-lasting 3/3