SIREN Study: Corona Virus Antibodies Can Protect Patients For 5 Months

Illustration of the COVID-19 test. (Jakayla Toney / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Antibodies formed from past coronavirus infections provide 83 percent protection against the possibility of reinfection of the same person. These antibodies are known to protect the owner for five months.

This is based on the results of a recent Public Health England study. However, what needs to be underlined is, experts agree that someone can still be reinfected and may be able to pass it on to other people.

In a study conducted by Public Health England's Sars-Cov-2 Immunity & REinfection Evaluation (SIREN) between 18 June - 24 November 2020, there were 44 potential re-infections, out of 6,614 participants who had tested positive for antibodies.

Public Health England Senior Medical Advisor and SIREN study leader Professor Susan Hopkins said those who previously had COVID-19 are unlikely to experience severe cases if they come back infected.

"This means, if you believe you have the disease and are protected, you can be sure you are unlikely to have a severe infection. However, there is still a risk that you can contract it and pass it on to other people," he explained as reported by euronews.

Illustration. (Trnava University / Unsplash)

SIREN is known to have conducted screening tests on more than 20 thousand health care workers at 102 National Health Service, throughout the UK since last June 2020.

SIREN researchers are also known to be researching whether antibodies from previous COVID-19 patients are able to protect against infection with the new, more contagious variant of the corona virus found in the UK.

In addition, it is also researching antibodies and possible re-infection. As well as researching how long the endurance of a corona virus vaccine that has been approved for use, in protecting someone from the corona virus.