COVID-19 Research: Immunity Against Virus Can Occur

In the midst of a global pandemic, new research has shed light on whether or not people can develop long-term immunity against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

To date, there have 22 875 061 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world. Out of that total, 797 274 people have succumbed to the virus, while 15 527 422 others have recovered.

According to new findings that were recently published in the scientific journal, “Cell”, antibodies that are created by COVID-19 – alongside immune cells called B-cells and T-cells – are able to remember the virus, even months after the initial infection.

In other words, those who were previously infected with COVID-19 – from mild to asymptomatic cases – are likely to be protected from the virus if they are ever reinfected.

To bolster these findings, researchers heading a similar study found that in a group of 36 recovered patients, all produced memory T-cells that recognise, and are specifically engineered to fight, the virus.

This research comes as a glimmer of hope to the world at large as the fight against the pandemic rages on.