CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM

Scientists Find Strong, Lasting Immunity in COVID Survivors, Says Report

A flurry of new studies, not all of which have been peer reviewed, give encouraging signals on immunity.

Scientists who are studying immune responses to the novel coronavirus say there are encouraging signs of strong, lasting immunity after exposure, even in people who develop only mild symptoms of COVID-19. According to The New York Times, studies have shown that disease-fighting antibodies appear to stick around for months after infections have cleared up. “Things are really working as they’re supposed to,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona and an author on one of the new studies, which has not yet been peer-reviewed. While protection against reinfection cannot be fully confirmed until there’s proof that most people who encounter the virus a second time are actually able to keep it at bay, Marion Pepper of the University of Washington, said: “This is exactly what you would hope for. All the pieces are there to have a totally protective immune response.” However, researchers can’t say how long these encouraging immune responses will last.