Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 17, 2021

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Persist for up to 13 Months and Reduce Risk of Reinfection

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  • [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A longitudinal study of antibody responses among healthcare workers in France, 916 of whom had not had COVID-19 and 393 who were convalescent, found that almost all convalescent individuals (96%) had persistence of anti-S IgG antibodies one year after infection. From month 1 until months 7-9 after infection, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies decreased, with men showing a slower decay of anti-N and a faster decay of anti-S antibodies than women. By months 11-13, anti-N decreased while anti-S stabilized. 69 individuals who were SARS-CoV-2 negative at baseline eventually tested positive, (incidence of 12.22 per 100 person-years) versus one with prior infection (0.40 per 100 person-years), for a relative reduction in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection of 96.7%. After vaccination, anti-S antibodies significantly increased to levels found to neutralize the D614G, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351 variants in the subset of isolates tested, with antibody level independent of pre-vaccination IgG levels, type of vaccine, and number of doses. 

Gallais et al. (May 14, 2021). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Persist for up to 13 Months and Reduce Risk of Reinfection. Pre-print downloaded May 17 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.07.21256823