Antibodies against Covid-19 may last more than 60 days: Study

Prashasti Awasthi Updated - September 28, 2020 at 10:39 AM.

Researchers see increasing trend of seropositive cases among frontline healthcare staff

A study, commissioned by Max Super Specialty Hospital-Saket and the CSIR-Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology, has said antibodies against the novel coronavirus can last up to 60 days or two months in humans, Financial Express reported.

The study was titled ‘SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence and stability in a tertiary care hospital setting’.

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For the study, researchers examined 780 people, including 332 who visited the hospital for Covid-19 testing and 448 healthcare staff between April and August 2020.

The authors noted in their study: “Previously during many viral outbreaks, serological assessment in the community has proven to be useful in understanding the spread of the disease along with chances of development of herd immunity and previous exposure to the virus.”

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The researchers also noticed that in the last four months there had been an increasing trend of seropositive cases among frontline healthcare staff. The seroprevalence rose from 2.3 in April to 50.6 in July.

The new study also claimed that people can have an additional immunity that could last up to 83 days.

Since 67 per cent of the coronavirus cases are asymptomatic, the study also mentioned that antibodies can be developed even without individuals knowing about their exposure to the virus.

Published on September 28, 2020 05:09