November 20, 2020

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 are associated with protection against Reinfection

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): antibodies

• [Pre-print, not peer reviewed] A prospective longitudinal cohort study of healthcare workers shows that antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 (suggesting previous infection) are associated with lower risk of a PCR-positive test (IRR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.76). The study included 11,052 seronegative individuals and 1,246 seropositive individuals. No symptomatic infections and only three asymptomatic PCR-positive results (0.21 cases per 10,000 days at risk) were seen in those with anti-spike antibodies, over 30 weeks of follow-up. By comparison, among the initially seronegative individuals there were 89 PCR-confirmed symptomatic cases (0.46 cases per 10,000 days at risk) and 76 confirmed asymptomatic cases (0.40/10,000 days at risk). The authors conclude that these results provide evidence that antibodies produced by prior SARS-CoV-2 infection are associated with at least partial protection against reinfection for at least six months.

Lumley et al. (Nov 18, 2020). Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 are associated with protection against Reinfection. Pre-print downloaded Nov 19 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.18.20234369