Levels of antibodies within the body decline rapidly within just a few months of contracting coronavirus, a new study from Imperial College London has found.
The number of people with antibodies, which protect the body's cells and is a crucial part of the immune system, has also fallen by a quarter in the past three months.
The REACT-2 study has so far seen 350,000 people in the United Kingdom take an antibody test, with the first study of 100,000 people finding that 6 percent of the population have antibodies.
The latest found just 4.4 percent of people tested had detectable antibodies.
Such results have delivered a blow to herd immunity - which, remember, is definitely not the government's real policy of dealing with the virus - due to fears over reinfection once recovery from coronavirus is complete.
"Immunity is waning quite rapidly, we're only three months after our first [round of tests] and we're already showing a 26% decline in antibodies," said Prof Helen Ward, one of the researchers on REACT-2.
While this news sounds dreadful - and it isn't ideal - scientists do believe that in the event of reinfection from coronavirus, the body's "immune memory" should make it milder than the first, even without antibodies.
And in an additional slightly positive news, researchers do not believe the results will impact their hopes of a vaccine.
So there's that.
He shared a tragic final message just nine days ago Chuck Norris has passed away at the age of 86, his family confirmed in a statement earlier today. The actor had shared a final message with fans on social media just one week ago. The legendary actor and martial artist had been active on Instagram […]
Chuck Norris has died at the age of 86. The news was shared on his Instagram page. The post read: “It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by […]
“Am I saying that right?” Jay-Z has announced he’s officially changed his name, and it actually has a pretty personal meaning behind it. The 56-year-old American rapper, known for hits like Empire State of Mind, Run This Town, and Young Forever, is one of the most influential figures in rap and hip-hop, a status he […]