Coronavirus immunity may last only six months, study finds

A study by the University of Amsterdam suggests that protective immunity from coronaviruses is short-lasting.

Moneycontrol News

May 24, 2020 / 11:21 AM IST

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Immunity from coronavirus could only last up to six months, scientists suggest.

For the purpose of research, Professor Lia van der Hoek from the University of Amsterdam and other researchers, tested 10 male individuals regularly for 35 years, for four types of coronaviruses — which cause the common cold.

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According to a report in The Science Times, the study found that most of the subjects were reinfected with a coronavirus within three years. Moreover, frequent reinfections occurred at 12 months after infection. A significant drop in antibody levels within six months post-infection was also recorded.

"Coronavirus protective immunity is short-lasting," the study said, adding that since SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) — the novel coronavirus — has only been around for six months and a lot of research is yet to be done.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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