Connecting COVID-19 antibody responses to disease protection, one data set at a time

Reports that most if not all COVID-19 survivors have antiviral antibodies are beginning to set benchmarks for immunity, but understanding how much protection different levels and types of antibodies provide will be critical for determining how well COVID-19 vaccines work.

The idea that exposure to a virus triggers production of antibodies that protect individuals from infectious disease is among the oldest principles in immunology. But because researchers’ understanding of SARS-CoV-2’s interaction with the human immune system is in its infancy, how this principle plays out for COVID-19 is still under investigation. ...