Immunity to coronavirus is 'fragile' and 'short lived,' expert warns Menu Search quotes, news & videos Menu Immunity to the coronavirus is 'fragile' and 'short-lived,' immunologist warns Published Mon, Jul 6 2020 11:10 AM EDT Updated Tue, Jul 7 2020 9:04 AM EDT Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email VIDEO 3:53 03:53 Immunity to Covid-19 'looks rather fragile,' professor warns It is not a "safe bet" to rely on immunity to as a strategy for coping with the pandemic, one expert has warned, adding that herd immunity strategies were "probably never going to work."
Speaking Monday on CNBC's " ," Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said that in towns and cities where there had been coronavirus infections, only 10% to 15% of the population was likely to be immune.
"And immunity to this thing looks rather fragile — it looks like some people might have antibodies for a few months and then it might wane, so it's not looking like a safe bet," he said.
"It's a very deceitful virus and immunity to it is very confusing and rather short-lived."
He also raised questions about the likely success of so-called herd immunity — when a population is allowed some exposure to the virus in order to build immunity among the general population — which has been cited by health officials in Sweden, which .
VIDEO 1:01 01:01 Wondering if insurance will cover the coronavirus—Here's what you need to know Despite a global race to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, experts remain uncertain about whether the antibodies present in people who have had the virus actually provide immunity to reinfection.
Top White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci that if Covid-19 behaved like other coronaviruses, there "likely isn't going to be a long duration of immunity" from antibodies or a vaccine.
Meanwhile, the that it remains unclear whether those who have already caught the virus once will be immune to getting it again.