People who are infected with Covid-19 are more likely to be protected from a second infection for at least five months, according to a new study led by Public Health England (PHE).
The study - which has not yet been reviewed by colleagues - found that if someone has been infected before, they are 83% less likely to become infected than people who have never been infected. But the researchers warned that the protection is not absolute, which means that some people become infected again with the coronavirus.
It is also possible that those who have a degree of immunity to the virus may still be able to carry the virus in their nose or throat and thus transmit it.
"We now know that most of those who have been infected with the virus and have developed antibodies are protected from re-infection, but this is not the same for everyone and we still do not know how long the protection lasts," he said in a statement. Susan Hopkins, senior medical advisor at PHE and co-leader of the study.
The study will continue to monitor healthcare workers for 12 months to see if the protection lasts even longer, but for now, it is thought that those who became infected with the virus in the first wave could become infected again.
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Source: CNN
