Sweden's top health authority says Covid-19 immunity can last 6 months after infection

Guwahati: The Swedish Public Health Agency, the top health authority in the Scandinavian country has said that people infected with the COVID-19 are likely to have COVID-19 immunity for at least six months post-infection, whether they've developed antibodies or not.

Swedish Public Health Agency has said that it is now "safe" for individuals who've been previously infected to come into contact with people, even those who belong to "high-risk" groups. The Swedish Public Health Agency, however, said that the people deemed to be "immune" can still act as carriers of the contagion and advised them to adhere to protocols such as social distancing..

Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, during a press conference in Stockholm, said that they are yet to witness people falling sick twice from the viral disease. "Hence, our assessment is that if you do get Covid-19 you are immune, even if you don't develop antibodies", Tegnell stated in the press interaction yesterday.

Tegnell also said that he expects a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready in the first half of 2021, provided there are no setbacks in the development process. "The risk of being reinfected and of transmitting the disease to other people is probably very close to zero. Therefore, we think that you can meet other people, even if they are in a high-risk group", he added.

Tegnell has become a controversial figure across the world for advising against a lockdown in Sweden. The country has one of the highest death rates in the world, according to John Hopkins University data. However, there are reports that suggest that the rate of infection in the country is slowing down.

Meanwhile, the scientist community is closely monitoring the antibody response to COVID-19 to check for any signs of COVID-19 immunity post-infection. Although there is not enough evidence to suggest that re-infections are occurring, scientists are yet to discover exactly how long the immunity might last.

As per a study in the King's College in London, the level of antibodies could be undetectable as soon as 3 months after infection. However, the body also mounts other forms of immunity responses, including from so-called T-cells, which seem to play an important role.

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