Science

SpaceX Study: Certain amount of Covid-19 antibodies may provide lasting immunity

Prashasti Awasthi Mumbai | Updated on February 22, 2021

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, an advanced rockets and spacecraft manufacturer company, carried out an anti-test program to track the prevalence of coronavirus among 4000 SpaceX workers across the United States.

The findings of the program revealed that a certain amount of antibodies against the virus may provide lasting immunity.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is co-authored by Musk himself. “People can have antibodies, but it doesn’t mean they are going to be immune to Covid-19,” said Galit Alter, a co-author of the study and a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard.

Also read: SpaceX Starship prototype rocket blows up on landing after test launch

The study noted that individuals who experienced fewer, milder Covid-19 symptoms generated fewer antibodies. Hence, mild symptoms were less likely to meet the antibodies threshold for longer-term immunity.

“To really nail this down at a public-health level would require doing reinfection studies and following people for reinfection over time,” said Joshua T. Schiffer, associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s vaccine and infectious-disease division.

Dr. Alter also added that scientists who carried out the study on SpaceX workers support the prioritization of vulnerable people for Covid-19 vaccination.

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Published on February 22, 2021
Covid-19
medical research
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