looked at data on a group of people at one point in time. Studies that follow the same people at several points in time have shown that natural antibodies do drop, Yang adds.
Importantly, just because you have natural antibodies doesn’t mean you are protected against reinfection, Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City stresses.
“Antibodies can last in your blood for months, but we don’t know how much you need to be protected,” Horovitz shares.
People who had more severe COVID-19 disease do have higher antibody levels but that doesn’t protect them forever, he notes.
“If you survived COVID-19, you have some cell-mediated immunity, but this is different from the type of immunity and antibodies you get from the vaccine, and it’s ideal to have both,” Horovitz notes.
Antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein in SARS-CoV-2 only appear if you have recovered from COVID, he explains, while vaccines and natural infection produce an antibody to the virus’ spike proteins.
Do everything you can to protect yourself from COVID-19, he urges.
“Get vaccinated and boosted when you are able, wear masks in public places, practice social distancing, and stay home when you are sick,” Horovitz concludes.