Study shows that having Covid once will prevent reinfection

Studies conducted by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) reveals that having Covid-19 once may provide the people with some degree of protection against being re-infected with the virus in future.

The study conducted in the US observed the antibody testing results of more than three million people and only 0.3 per cent of those who had the antibodies in them initially were tested positive again.

Researchers found that people who have antibodies in their bodies from natural infections were at a much lower risk of being infected again in the future.

Dr. Ned Sharpless, director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute said that the protection acquired from the first infection is strong and comparable to that of Covid-19 vaccines but developing protection from the vaccines is much safer than from the virus infection itself.

Researchers are hoping that these results would be of significant help to the government in influencing the decisions regarding the opening of schools, offices etc. and to the health department in prioritizing patients for inoculation process during the times when the supply of vaccines are limited. They have also warned that this information should not deter anyone from taking vaccines thinking they are already protected from their first infection.

However, the study also leaves many questions unanswered as it doesn't explain how long this immunity will last in a person who has been infected because the study only observed the people for about 120 days.

Though it proves that it is very rare for a person to be re-infected, since some cases of reinfection have already been reported across the world, people are strictly advised to keep protecting themselves by continuing to follow the Covid-19 protocols.