COVID-19 Antibodies Last for at Least Four Months After Recovery

The results from a study in Iceland can’t say if a recovered patient’s antibodies can protect them from subsequent reinfection.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 3 min read

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COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, pandemic, antibodies, Iceland, qPCR, seroprevalence

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ABOVE: A panorama of downtown Reykjavik in Iceland. © ISTOCK.COM, ULTIMA_GAINA

A study of COVID-19 patients in Iceland represents the largest effort yet to assess the body’s immunological response to infection by SARS-CoV-2. Antibodies generated to combat infection peaked in the two months following a positive diagnosis before plateauing for a further two months in more than 90 percent of recovered patients, the authors report.

The findings, published September 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, partially contradict previous reports of antibodies sharply declining following recovery. The authors witnessed that decline as well, but it was supplanted by a secondary, more stable wave of antibodies. If these antibodies remain protective over time, that would have positive implications for vaccine development and immunity to reinfection.

Two experts who weren’t involved in the study described the behavior of antibodies over time in an accompanying editorial. “The first wave [of antibodies] is ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
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Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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