Studies show monkeys have low chances of reinfection from COVID-19

Two new studies conducted on monkeys have proven that the animals are less likely to be reinfected by COVID-19.

The studies further validate the assumption that surviving COVID-19 may result in immunity from reinfection and that vaccines under development may succeed, US researchers said on Wednesday.

In the first study, nine monkeys were infected with COVID-19.

After they recovered, they were exposed to the virus and failed to fall sick again.

They “do develop natural immunity that protects against re-exposure,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, a researcher at the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston.

In a second study, Barouch tested six prototype vaccines on 25 monkeys and exposed them to 10 other control animals infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The control animals were discovered to show high degree of the virus in their lungs and noses while the vaccinated animals manifested “a substantial degree of protection”, eight of which were completely protected, Barouch said.

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“It’s very good news,” Barouch noted.

“These data will be seen as a welcome scientific advance,” he added.

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