Antibody levels of recovered Covid-19 patients drop sharply after three months, says Health DG

PETALING JAYA: A local study of those recovered from Covid-19 has revealed that their antibody levels had decreased sharply three months after they have recovered.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the antibody response in the study among those from the Sungai Lui Covid-19 cluster was only 20%.

“By right, those infected should have an antibody response of 80-90%. If it increases, then only can we have herd immunity. But the antibody response declined, ” he said during a press conference on Tuesday (July 14).

He said that other studies from around the world had shown similar results, bringing into question the effectiveness of a potential vaccine for the virus.

He said the studies indicated that someone who had been infected with the virus could be re-infected again.

“If we give vaccines, would it be able to stimulate an antibody response? We are now in the third phase of vaccine research, which is looking at its effectiveness. Can it stimulate a permanent response and not just a temporary response?

“If the antibodies are not permanent, we won’t have herd immunity. These are the issues. Every day, we are learning something new from Covid-19, ” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said that they are in negotiations with several firms to take part in the third phase of clinical trials, which would involve testing on humans.

Researchers all over the world are trying to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with the earliest timeframe for this being next year.