Exact Answer: Up to 8 months
Covid-19 is also known as the SARS-CoV2 variant of the coronavirus. The Covid-19 infections reached global proportions in the early days of 2020 and the pathogen was thus, declared as the catalyst of a global pandemic. People who have recovered from the Covid-19 infection are believed to possess a certain degree of immunity against future reinfections.
The human immune system works by remembering the infectious pathogen that affected it the first time and counters this pathogen if re-encountered at a later point in time. Similarly, those receiving the Covid-19 vaccines are also proposed to have similar immunogenic protection against the virus.
How Long Is A Person Immune After Covid?
The effective immunity of an individual against any disease-causing pathogen is hinged on the particularities of their unique systems. However, experts can formulate a more or less accurate spectrum of immunity from certain viral strains. Research suggests that immunity against the Covid-19 virus can last up to a minimum of 8 months.
Immunologists who are currently studying the possibilities of reinfection among certain population segments around the world have proposed that most individuals who have successfully recovered from the viral infection are immune from the pathogen for at least 8 months. In some cases, they found a more lasting immune response being produced by the body.
The antibodies developed during the first infection are retained by the body. The body ‘remembers’ the viral pathogen and thus triggers an immune response against the pathogen if it reenters the host at a later time.
The vaccination programs around the world have also been based on this core idea of lasting immunity. Most research on the preparation of vaccines suggests that immunity against the virus after a completed course of vaccination can last up to 8 months.
There remains an important caveat to be considered with most immunization programs. A person can develop complete immunity from Covid-19 only when both doses of the vaccine have been administered. Moreover, there is a window of 2 weeks between the vaccination of an individual and the development of a holistic immunity against the virus. This means that a person may get infected with the virus within this period of time.
In Summary:
| Method of Acquiring Immunity | Immunity Time Frame |
| Recovered From the Infection | Up to 8 months |
| Vaccination | 8 months or more |
Why Does A Person Remain Immune From Covid For So Long?
A person will remain immune from the infection because of the innate ability of our human immune system to fight viral loads. The human immune system is so-created that it has the ability to memorize viral loads as precautions for any future infections.
In the case of a person who has successfully recovered from the virus, his immune system will remember the Covid-19 strain. Antibodies are protein-based elements found in the human immune system that help counter infections. When a person recovers from Covid, the body stores the antibodies that were specifically formed to fight the disease.
Similarly, research has suggested that these individuals also had the three other important components of immunity, i.e. Helper T-cells, Killer T-cells, and B-cells. All these elements make a person sufficiently immune to the disease. This lasting memory of the immune system protects the person for almost 8 months from any reinfections.
Similarly, immunization against the virus uses a weakened strain of the virus or a similar protein-based initiator that triggers the same responses in the body. This forces a healthy person’s immune system to form these components of immunity because it feels invaded by the Covid pathogen.
The T and B cells developed as a result of the vaccination process produce the same immunity against the disease as in the event of recovering from the natural infection. However, both doses of the vaccine are needed for complete immunity.
The antibodies remain a part of the body’s arsenal against pathogens and help provide lasting immunity to the individual. Upon detection of the pathogen, the body simply deploys these antibodies to eliminate it.
Conclusion
Covid-19 has affected the global community in an unforeseen manner. Millions have suffered from the infection, many have succumbed while a considerable number of people have also successfully recovered from the disease.
After recovering from the illness, a person can be immune from the illness for up to 8 months. Similarly, the development of vaccines against the Covid-19 virus has added a glimmer of hope. These vaccines also promise a lasting immunity of 8 months after a completed process of inoculation. Such long periods of immunity are possible against the virus because of the ability of our immune systems to ‘remember’ pathogens and launch the existing antibodies in defense.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074761320303125
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-0311-8?fbclid=IwAR006BPp8mRx8nAxiOljiN8dlYJjNncQ4zj4N8mvi1VN9gMFrcSRuIpnTWk
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