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Have you contracted COVID-19, have recovered and think you are safe? Mistake - time is playing against you and the amount of antibodies is decreasing. What is it exactly?
- After recovering from Covid-19, a person acquires immunity that partially protects him from re-infection with the coronavirus, said Christan Drosten, a renowned virologist at the Charite clinic in Berlin, on Wednesday. advises the German authorities on counteracting the pandemic.
Unfortunately, such immunity does not protect completely. We "only" have a guarantee that you cannot get infected again immediately after being infected.
After a year and a half, two or three years, the risk of contracting an infection increases. Reason? - Over time, the amount of antibodies your body has made to fight a disease the first time will diminish. Re-infection longer after infection is also typical of other coronaviruses, Drosten noted.
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Fortunately, if reinfection does occur, it will be much milder, according to the virologist.
WHO position and re-infection
German media noted that the Berlin virologist's opinion differs from the recommendation the World He alth Organization (WHO) issued on Saturday. The WHO said there is currently "no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected against a second infection."
The virologist, referring to the WHO message, stated that the organization's restraint is dictated by the unreliability of laboratory tests that can demonstrate immunity in people who do not have it, and the social consequences. Drosten described a theoretical situation in which an employer would prefer employees with proven immunity to coronavirus, and insurance companies would offer such people more favorable premiums.
Read more: Coronavirus can be infected twice? Experts are still doing research