There is some new information about the coronavirus for those who have been infected by it already.

Medical experts are saying that after contracting and recovering from COVID-19, you will have immunity, but everyone is wondering how long the immunity actually lasts.

Well, according to a new study it looks like immunity could last for a very long time.

The abstract of the study states,

Understanding immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 is critical for improving diagnostics and vaccines, and for assessing the likely future course of the pandemic. We analyzed multiple compartments of circulating immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 in 185 COVID-19 cases, including 41 cases at ≥6 months post-infection. Spike IgG was relatively stable over 6+ months. Spike-specific memory B cells were more abundant at 6 months than at 1 month. SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells declined with a half-life of 3-5 months. By studying antibody, memory B cell, CD4+ T cell, and CD8+ T cell memory to SARS-CoV-2 in an integrated manner, we observed that each component of SARS-CoV-2 immune memory exhibited distinct kinetics.

T-cells and B-cells are the important cells that have to do with combating COVID.

B-cells fight bacteria and viruses by making antibodies, which are specific to each pathogen and are able to lock onto the surface of an invading cell and mark it for destruction by other immune cells.

There are two main types of T-cells: helper T-cells and killer T-cells. Helper T-cells stimulate B-cells to make antibodies and help killer cells develop. Killer T-cells directly kill cells that have already been infected by a foreign invader.

So no one is exactly sure yet how long immunity may last. It could be a year, it could be a decade, it could be a lifetime. You can get the flu every year I suppose. I don’t know that there is really any immunity that comes along with it. Maybe some sort of bolstered immune response to it though. Chickenpox gives you a lifelong immunity.