Most unvaccinated children will lack antibodies after contracting COVID-19

Reuters news agency (UK) reported that from October 2020, scientists at the Dallas School of Public Health, Texas (USA) recruited 218 volunteers aged 5-19 who had been infected with COVID-19 and recovered to participate in a study.

Each volunteer will provide 3 blood samples, over a 3-month period. Over 90% of these were not vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of enrollment in the study. According to results published in the journal Pediatrics on March 18, the first blood sample showed that only one-third of the volunteers had antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Six months later, only half of these still had antibodies.

This study focused on detecting the presence of antibodies, which are part of the immune system, rather than measuring antibody levels. Therefore, the possibility of protection in volunteers with antibodies is uncertain. The researchers also found no difference between children with no symptoms and severe symptoms.

Sarah Messiah at the Dallas School of Public Health emphasized: “Some parents think that because their children have had COVID-19 they are protected and do not need to be vaccinated. But we have good tools and are available to further protect children by giving them a COVID-19 vaccine.”

As of January 27, 2022, more than 11.4 million children in the United States have been infected with COVID-19. The number of new cases of COVID-19 among US children increased sharply between December 2021 and January 2022.