Cellular (T cell) immunity to #SARSCoV2 is likely to be present within most adults six months after primary infection, suggests a new pre-print released today by #UKCIC and Public Health England ( @unibirmingham @PHE_uk @ManchesterCRF)

https://www.uk-cic.org/news/cellular-immunity-sars-cov-2-found-six-months-non-hospitalised-individuals 1/

2/ A key question is whether infection with SARS-CoV-2 results in immunity to a second infection, and if so for how long. The immune system is extremely complex and post-infection immunity can occur in a number of ways, but we're still learning how it might with this virus.

3/ The study included 100 adults who tested sero-positive in March/April, with asymptomatic or mild/moderate #COVID19.

Researchers assessed antibody levels monthly, and T cell responses after six months. All 100 had T cell responses, suggesting cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

4/ The response seen was against a range of proteins from the virus, including the Spike protein currently being used in most vaccine studies, supporting its use, as well as other proteins (e.g. nucleoprotein) which may be valuable to study in this way.

5/ T cell responses varied between individuals, being ~50% higher in those who had been symptomatic vs asymptomatic. It's possible thatcellular immunity could be more protective after symptoms, or it could be that asymptomatic people just don't need as large a response.

6/ Important note: This research is awaiting peer-review, and there are still many questions to be addressed. While these results suggest that the immune system does respond to #SARSCoV2 6 months post-infection, we don't know for sure if you are protected against reinfection.

7/ Nobody who has previously tested positive should change their behaviour based on these results, however they are an encouraging sign for vaccine researchers focusing on T cell responses, and an important part of our understanding of #COVID19 immunology

You can read the full press release about the study on our website, where you can also read about #UKCIC's 5 research themes and the researchers involved.

https://www.uk-cic.org/news/cellular-immunity-sars-cov-2-found-six-months-non-hospitalised-individuals