‘Covid-recovered patients could get infected again’
dubai — It is possible for people to get infected even after recovering from Covid-19 or taking the vaccine under the clinical trial, the UAE authorities said on Tuesday.
Dr Omar Al Hammadi, the official spokesperson for the UAE Government, explained that the antibodies that the body develops after a Covid infection or after receiving the jab have various life spans.
“Some of the antibodies can last for life and some last for a specific period after vaccination or infection,” Al Hammadi said during the Press briefing.
He added that viruses also change and mutate over a period of time, which may affect one’s immunity.
While it is still difficult to determine the life span of the virus, some studies suggest that one can stay immune for around five to seven months, Al Hammadi said. “The antibodies stay in one’s body for that long but they may stay longer than that depending on different individuals.
“The bottom line is that the clinical trial and observation being done now allow us to know the immunity period after contracting the virus and taking the vaccine.”
The Ministry of Health and Prevention on Tuesday reported 1,008 Covid-19 cases, along with 1,466 recoveries. Six deaths were also recorded.
As many as 96,994 new tests were carried out, taking the total to nearly 13.3 million tests so far.
Get tested if you have symptoms
Dr Al Hammadi urged people to get themselves tested for Covid, if they have symptoms. Staying home and taking supplements are not enough.
“It is very important that you visit a physician if you have any Covid symptoms in order to confirm if you have contracted the virus. The symptoms of Covid and seasonal influenza are similar, therefore, you must get a test done to see if you have contracted the disease.
“After confirming that one has the virus, the medical teams will deal with different cases based on the date on which the virus was contracted; the severity of the symptoms; the laboratory tests that look into the inflammation levels; and X-ray findings that will define the impact of the virus,” he said.
The spokesperson added that asymptomatic cases or patients with mild symptoms will be asked to isolate either at specific quarantine centres or at home.