Fisherman Bring Back Evidence Coronavirus Antibodies Are Protective
Recent research published on August 14, 2020, found a coronavirus outbreak that occurred on a Seattle-based fishing vessel may be the first direct evidence that antibodies to the coronavirus could prevent people from reinfection. This study says 104 of the 122 fishing crew members had become infected during the outbreak, an attack rate of more than 85%.
However, none of the 3 crew members who had neutralizing antibodies before the ship went fishing showed signs of reinfection nor had they experienced any symptoms. The fact that none of the 3 crew members with neutralizing antibodies got infected, while 103 of the 117 without antibodies did indicate having the antibodies was significantly associated with protection.
The University of Washington’s School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center issued a report on August 18th, saying “Our results provide the first direct evidence that anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies are protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans."