Covid-19 immunity study

In total, more than 4,000 company employees were tested. The authors of the study, which included the founder of SpaceX, concluded that a certain level of antibodies could provide longer-lasting immunity.

SpaceX has conducted a coronavirus antibody study involving more than 4,000 volunteer employees of the company, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The study was led by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk and executives from the company's medical division. It was attended by 4.3 thousand volunteers from among employees of SpaceX. The testing was conducted from April to June 2020.

The authors of the study, among whom Musk is listed, published the results of their work. From them, it follows that a certain threshold of antibodies can provide longer protection against coronavirus. The study also showed that people who had had COVID-19 in a milder form and with fewer symptoms produced fewer antibodies and were therefore less likely to meet the threshold for longer-term immunity.

According to scientists who studied immunity formation in SpaceX employees, the results of the study can be used to determine who is most vulnerable to the coronavirus and should be vaccinated first. For example, people without antibodies who are in places with a high incidence of the disease could be given priority.

Elon Musk took four coronavirus tests in November, two of which were positive and two were negative. According to the entrepreneur, these tests were from the same company and were taken by the same nurse.

The link between the severity of COVID-19 and the strength of the immunity received afterwards has been reported by the World Health Organization. They have recommended that those who have been mildly or asymptomatically infected should be vaccinated as not everyone develops sufficiently strong immunity after such an illness.

Soumya Swaminathan, a senior WHO researcher, explained that in this case the vaccination would boost the immune response.