A serological survey conducted jointly by the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and Max Hospital over five months has revealed that antibodies in a person who has recovered from coronavirus infection persist for 60-80 days.

The study used 780 samples from hospital workers and individuals who visited the hospital during the pandemic for serological testing. The study is a step towards a better understanding of the infection recovery and re-infection pattern. It will help in understanding whether asymptomatic or symptomatic seropositive individuals are protected for COVID-19 and if so for how long.

The study observed an increasing trend of seropositive cases amongst the hospital staff, over a period of four months, from April to July reflecting the increasing spread of the infection in these months. Among the healthcare workers, the seroprevalence increased from April (2.3 per cent) to July (50.6 per cent). The cumulative seroprevalence observed in the study is 16.5 per cent (74/448). According to the study, the prevalence observed in the general population is 23.5 per cent (78/332).