Mild COVID-19 induces lasting antibody protection, study finds

The researchers found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after first symptoms.

Months after recovering from mild cases of COVID-19, people still have immune cells which produce antibodies against the novel coronavirus, . The researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, U.S., noted that such cells could persist for a lifetime, churning out antibodies all the while. The study, published on Monday in the journal Nature, suggests that mild cases of COVID-19 leave those infected with lasting antibody protection and that repeated bouts of illness are likely to be uncommon.