Until now, we lacked hindsight on whether the antibodies produced naturally by the body in the event of a Covid-19 infection made it possible to protect the body in the long term. Several studies had shown that patients lost their antibodies – and therefore potentially their immunity – over time, but new work (published in Science immunology) inspire hope. Researchers at Monash University, near Melbourne, took blood from 25 patients with the coronavirus on the fourth day after infection and then eight months after. Australian scientists have confirmed that the antibodies do decrease over time, but that doesn't mean we will no longer be protected. Indeed, they demonstrated the presence of immune cells (B lymphocytes) which have a virus memory function. Indeed, if these cells are again exposed to a pathogen such as the coronavirus, they recognize its famous “spike proteins”, which allow the virus to penetrate host cells for infections. The lymphocytes are then able to trigger an immune response with the production of new antibodies.
Even if the study remains modest in terms of the number of patients, it is in line with the general finding since the start of the pandemic: very few cases of reinfection with Covid-19 have been observed in the world. This seems to bode well for former patients, already immunized, and for those in the process of being vaccinated at the start of 2021.
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