Scientists at the University of Virginia have created a new experimental cocktail of antibodies that are 100 percent effective in blocking symptomatic COVID-19 infection in people exposed to the coronavirus. In asymptomatic carriers of the virus, the infection resolves within a week. The new tool is announced in a press release on MedicalXpress.
In clinical studies, scientists have tried to find out if antibodies can prevent COVID-19 infection in people who have been exposed but not yet sick. The trial involved 400 people, and of the 186 volunteers who received antibodies, none developed symptomatic COVID-19. In a group of 223 people who received placebo, eight people developed symptoms.
Asymptomatic infections were recorded in 15 antibody recipients and in 23 placebo recipients. The overall incidence of infections, including both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, was about 50 percent lower in the antibody group. Those who fell ill had a peak viral load 100 times higher than those who received antibodies. The disease itself lasted 3-4 weeks in 40 percent of cases, and in the antibody group, the infection stopped seven days after infection.
The cocktail is not a vaccine, so it will not provide long-term immunity.