A new study on antibodies published in the scientific journal European Journal of Immunology claimed that 90 per cent of subjects have detectable antibodies for 40 days upto 7 months post contracting Covid-19.

The study was led by Marc Veldhoen, principal investigator at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Portugal, with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers.

The study revealed that age is not a confounding factor in levels of antibodies produced, but the severity of the disease is.

The researchers collaborated with physicians in the campus of the Santa Maria Hospital for the study. The team started to monitor the antibody levels of over 300 Covid-19 hospital patients, healthcare workers and over 200 Covid-recovered volunteers.

Marc Veldhoen said: “Our immune system recognises the virus SARS-CoV-2 as harmful and produces antibodies in response to it, which helps to fight the virus.”

Tracing a pattern

He added: “The results of this 6-month cross-sectional study show a classic pattern with a rapid increase of antibody levels within the first three weeks after Covid-19 symptoms and, as expected, a reduction to intermediate levels thereafter.”

He said in the study that in this early response phase, men produce more antibodies than women on average. However, levels equilibrate during the resolution phase and are similar between the sexes in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The researchers examined the neutralising capacity of the antibodies produced by the patients and volunteers against the virus SARS-CoV-2.

“Although we observed a reduction in the levels of antibodies over time, the results of our neutralising assays have shown a robust activity for up to the seventh month post-infection in a large proportion of previously virus-positive screened subjects”, said Marc Veldhoen.

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