Sustained immune response memory detected in recovered COVID-19 patients Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began, scientists have been keen to know if primary infection in recovered individuals yields long-lasting immunity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19. A team of researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine has found that people who had mild COVID-19 developed a multi-layered immune response against SARS-Cov-2. The researchers detected neutralizing antibodies against the virus for at least three months after recovering from the infection. Specifically, the team found virus-specific memory B and T cells displaying anti-viral immunity. Memory B cells (MBCs) increase in number and express antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2.