COVID-19 antibodies may last up to 12 months in over 70% of patients who have recovered from the illness, according to a study conducted by Chinese researchers, as reported by official media from the Asian state today. The research also concluded that vaccination can "effectively limit the spread" of the new coronavirus by enhancing immune responses similar to how the human body generates antibodies against live viruses.
The study was conducted by a subsidiary of the state pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, which produces two vaccines approved by the Chinese government, and the National Center for Translational Medicine at Jiaotong University in Shanghai.
Approximately 1,800 plasma samples were collected from 869 individuals who recovered from COVID-19 in the last 12 months in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus was first identified in December 2019. Researchers examined the presence and quantity of (RBDIgG), a type of antibody that indicates immune strength against the virus, according to the official newspaper China Daily.
According to the results, antibody levels decreased by nine months to 64.3% compared to the beginning of the virus infection and stabilized by the 12th month. The immune response was stronger in men than in women during the early stages of infection, but the difference faded over time and nearly disappeared after 12 months.
Individuals aged 18 to 55 developed higher antibody levels. According to the China National Biotechnology Group, a subsidiary of Sinopharm involved in the research, this study is the most comprehensive among studies that demonstrated the persistence of immune responses in patients who recovered from COVID-19.
