HIQA has advised NPHET to extend the period of presumptive immunity from Covid-19 from six to nine months post-infection.
People’s immunity and protection from reinfection from Covid-19 lasts nine months after being infected with the virus, according to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).
In a statement released on Wednesday, HIQA said it has advised the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to extend the period of presumptive immunity from Covid-19 from six to nine months post-infection.
The new advice was informed by a review of international evidence which included 19 large cohort studies of reinfection involving over 640,000 people previously infected with the virus.
It was also informed by 13 studies on immune memory response, along with opinion from the Covid-19 Expert Advisory Group.
HIQA’s Deputy CEO and Director of Health Technology Assessment Dr Máirín Ryan said: “Across all the studies we examined, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection was consistently low, with no increase in infection risk over time.
“In addition, studies suggest that most people develop immune memory after a SARS-CoV-2 infection that lasts for at least nine months.”
Dr Ryan said that increasing the period of presumptive immunity would have “widespread positive implications for people”.
She explained: “A person who has Covid-19 in the last nine months would be exempt from serial testing. A change would also increase the number of under-50s who only need one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated.”
Dr Ryan also said it would have implications for the implementation and roll-out of the proposed digital green certificates.
However, she also added that the potential impact of new variants on natural immunity is “evolving rapidly and needs to be kept under review”.
For more information, see HIQA’s site here.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
