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Dr Hilary warns coronavirus immunity 'might only last months'
27 October 2020, 08:06 | Updated: 27 October 2020, 08:08
GMB's Dr Hilary has addressed uncertainty over how long coronavirus immunity lasts for.
Dr Hilary Jones warned that the UK is far from ‘herd immunity’ when he appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.
The doctor was discussing a recent study which shows that Coronavirus immunity could only last a few months.
Research by Imperial College London estimated just 4.4% of adults had some form of immunity against Covid-19 in September.
Speaking about the concerns to host Sean Fletcher, Hilary said: "Unfortunately it looks like herd immunity is way, way off.”
"Being exposed [to the virus] does not confirm individual immunity going forward.
"So may people have been relying on [herd immunity]... that's blown out of the water as well, we've got to forget getting Covid-19 will make us immune, that's a real blow."
Dr Hilary went on to add that vaccine trials have shown so far that it can give 'a good immune response,' which gives some hope for next year.
This comes after the new immunity research saw a drop in the number of people with Covid-19 antibodies between June and September.
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According to research commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care, the numbers fell by 26.5% over three months.
The study was based on 365,000 randomly selected adults in England, who used finger prick antibody tests at home.
It revealed that between 20 June and 28 September, the proportion of people who tested positive for antibodies dropped from 6% of the population to 4.4%.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said the study made shows that people are not immune from coronavirus just because they have had it before.
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He said: “This study led by Imperial and Ipsos MORI is a critical piece of research, helping us to understand the nature of COVID-19 antibodies over time, and improve our understanding about the virus itself.
"We rely on this kind of important research to inform our continued response to the disease, so we can continue to take the right action at the right time.
“It is also important that everyone knows what this means for them – this study will help in our fight against the virus, but testing positive for antibodies does not mean you are immune to COVID-19.
“Regardless of the result of an antibody test, everyone must continue to comply with government guidelines including social distancing, self-isolating and getting a test if you have symptoms and always remember Hands, Face, Space.”
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