Copenhagen: People who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection is likely to be protected from re-infection for at least six months, but according to a study published Wednesday, the protection drops dramatically for people older than 65 years.
According to Hill, the study – published in the Lancet entitled ‘Assessment of protection against re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 among 4 million PCR-tested individuals in Denmark in 2020: a population-level observational study’ – found that protection in the general population 80 percent or higher in those younger than 65, but about 47 percent at age 65 and older, meaning they are more likely to become infected again.
‘We found that the protection in the population was 80% or higher among those under 65 years of age, but that it was about 47% among those aged 65 and over. We did not see any signs of diminishing protection against repeated infestations by 2020, ”the scientists said in the discussion of the research article.
They added: ‘Our estimates for overall protection after the previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 of 77-83% are consistent with several other cohort studies from the UK, Qatar and the US, which reported that reinfection is rare and in less than 1% of all COVID-19 incidents. The scientists estimated a relatively low protection against reinfection in people aged 65 or older compared to younger individuals.
“Those aged 65 and over have less than 50 percent protection against recurrent SARS-CoV-2 infections after the first infection. However, another study group, using a different study design, found a high degree of protection against re-infection among older people, ‘they said.
“Our finding that older people were more likely than younger people to test positive again if they had already tested positive can be explained by natural age-related changes in the immune system of older adults, also known as immune aging,” they added.
The Hill reported that the authors found no evidence that protection against recurrent infection decreases after six months of follow-up, but because COVID-19 only discovered in December 2019, they said longer-term studies are needed.
However, the study concluded that can not be dependent on natural protection – especially among the elderly – and that vaccination of all populations is the most reliable to protect against COVID-19.
According to the authors, the results highlight the importance of measures to protect the elderly during the pandemic, such as increasing physical distance and prioritizing it for vaccines, even for those who have recovered from the virus.
The Lancet study analyzed the patient data collected in Denmark as the country instituted a successful national testing program. The country has expanded its free PCR testing program and by December 31, more than 10 million PCR tests were done on 4 million people, which is more than two-thirds of the country’s population.
Source: Telangana Today