Protective effect of natural antibodies in children with COVID-19 infection

This is the result of a study by scientists from Texas, USA that has just been published in the journal Pediatrics.

The Texas CARES study, conducted by experts at UTHealth Houston from October 2020, collected and evaluated data on 218 Texas children between the ages of 5 and 19 who participated in the survey.

The purpose of the study is to assess the degree of antibody after some time in adults and children in this state. To date, 14 million children in the US have been infected COVID-19.

Study volunteers provided 3 blood samples at the time points before vaccination and during the time when Delta and Omicron variants were spreading.

Epidemiology professor Sarah Messiah, study co-author, said, this is the first study in the Texas CARES framework to use all data from all three periods. The results are important, she stressed, because the data used do not discriminate between whether children with COVID-19 have symptoms, severity, time of infection or factors such as underlying disease, gender. .

Natural antibodies along with antibodies generated from vaccines are the best way to protect children against COVID-19. (Photo: AP)

The results showed that, although 96% of children had antibodies up to 7 months after contracting COVID-19, 58% of the samples did not natural antibodies at the final tests. The results do not take into account the protective effect of the vaccine.

According to Professor Messiah, this study is just one step towards understanding the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in children.

She emphasized:As we all know, natural antibodies along with antibodies produced from vaccines provide the best protection against COVID-19. Currently, some parents mistakenly believe that if their child has ever had COVID-19 they will be protected by natural antibodies without vaccination.. In this study, we found that, even though children still have a certain amount of antibodies for at least 6 months after contracting COVID-19, we still don’t know the exact threshold of absolute protection. We now have a great tool to give children an extra layer of protection, which is vaccination. So, if your child qualifies for immunizations, take advantage of that opportunity“.

Therefore, according to scientists, natural antibodies, along with antibodies generated from vaccines, are the best way to protect children against COVID-19.

The Texas CARES study, still ongoing, was co-funded by the Texas State Department of Health and the University of Texas system.

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