A new study suggests individuals who get Covid19, even those with mild symptoms as well as those who are asymptomatic, develop T cells that offer the individual long-term immunity if they are exposed again.
Whether recovered patients had long-term immunity to Covid19 after recovering is a question that has dogged doctors up until now.
The study centers around white blood cells, which have strong powers of recollection and can help your body mount attacks against viruses that return to the body. Memory T cells are a key type, since they identify and destroy infected cells and inform B cells about how to craft new antibodies.
“Memory T cells will likely prove critical for long-term immune protection against COVID-19,” the authors of the study wrote, adding that they “may prevent recurrent episodes of severe COVID-19.”
In additional good news, the authors of the study found that patients who had recovered from Covid19 and who did not test positive for antibodies still developed memory T cells.
You can read more here, and the full study here.
Photo by Dr Graham Beards