Study reveals Covid-19 symptoms that provide longer immunity from virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin carried out a study to find specific symptoms of the novel coronavirus that indicate long and persistent immunity against the virus.

The study suggested that patients hospitalised with Covid-19 infection had higher antibody levels against the novel coronavirus than non-hospitalised patients.

Methodology

For the study, the researchers analysed blood tests from 113 patients infected with coronavirus five weeks after recovering from their illness. They again tested the patients three months after their infection.

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The researchers aimed to determine the concentration level of antibodies circulating in their systems at both intervals. The findings of the study were published in the pre-print server of medrxiv.org.

Results

For patients who weren’t hospitalised after getting infected with Covid-19, their symptoms led to varying levels of antibodies, with “cough, body aches, headache, nausea, and vomiting” only correlating to some antibodies present, while “chills, shortness of breath, chest tightness, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, and runny or stuffy nose” correlated to “no or almost (no)” antibodies.

The new findings support the previous studies that reported patients who are seniors, male, and/or those who fell severely ill have concentrations of antibodies, which is a key indicator of immunity.

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But the research also “demonstrated for the first time that (specific) Covid-19 symptoms…correlated consistently with higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels” for at least three months.