WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) People with evidence of prior coronavirus infection appear to be well protected against reinfection at least for a few months, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) said in a report on Wednesday.
"People who have had evidence of a prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appear to be well protected against being reinfected with the virus, at least for a few months," a press release explaining the report said.
The finding may explain why reinfection appears to be relatively rare and could have important public health implications including decisions about returning to work and school and prioritizing vaccine distribution, the health agency said.
NCI based the report on data from five commercial labs, electronic medical records and private insurers, including antibody test results from more than 3 million people, NCI said.
When the researchers looked at test results for the virus 90 or more days after the initial antibody test, only about 0.3% of those with with positive antibody tests, tested positive for the virus - about one-tenth the rate of those with negative antibody tests.
The report cautioned that scientist still do not know how long protection lasts in a person with antibodies and called for follow up studies to determine if protection wanes over time.
The NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, normally focuses on cancer, but the organization's expertise in serological sciences prompted Congress to request the research.
