People who recover from mild COVID-19 have bone-marrow cells that can churn out antibodies for decades, although viral variants could dampen some of the protection they offer. Many people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 will probably make antibodies against the virus for most of their lives.

Had COVID? You’ll probably make antibodies for a lifetime (May 26, 2021)

In a recent study published in Nature.com, “there is evidence that immunity triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection will be extraordinarily long-lasting”. “The implications are that vaccines will have the same durable effect”, says Menno vanZelm, an immunologist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. “Researchers presumed that SARS-CoV-2 infection would trigger the development of BMPCs, nearly all viral infections do, but there have been signs that severe COVID-19 might disrupt the cells’ formation”.

“What’s not clear is what antibody levels will look like in the long-term… the ability of some emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants to blunt the protective effects of antibodies means that additional immunizations may be needed to restore levels”. Stay well, stay informed and stay tuned!