COVID-19: Previously tested positive? Dr Noor Hisham wants you to volunteer for immunity study

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced via a Facebook post calling for Malaysians who were previously infected with COVID-19. He urged them to volunteer for Malaysia’s study on immunity in recovered patients.

“This research is important to find out the levels of neutralising antibody (immunity) in the blood that can block the COVID-19 virus from infecting patients that had been infected previously,” he said in the post.

A group of researchers from the Health Ministry’s National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Institute for Medical Research is using the findings for a medical study entitled “Longitudinal Study of Neutralising Antibody Response among COVID-19 Patients in Malaysia”. The duration of the study will run from August 2020 to July 2022.

The Facebook post includes a poster that reads, “Your blood is precious for us to determine the immunity against COVID-19”. It also said that the study will “improve the understanding of antibody response among COVID-19 patients at different time frames”.

Anyone who fits the bill are advised to contact the people below:

• Dr Rafiza Shaharudin: Phone: 03-33627753 Email: rafiza.s@moh.gov.my
• Dr Masita Arip Phone: 03-33627735 Email: masita.a@moh.gov.my

Dr Noor Hisham was asked why the invitation to join the study was done openly through Facebook. He replied saying that it’s because he needed more patients to come forward.

“We can use the blood for us to see to test, and how long the antibody remains in a person’s body, whether it will deteriorate after three months or not,” he added.

According to the WHO, studies have shown that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus. However, some of these people have low levels of neutralising antibodies in their blood and there’s not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity. MOH has said that studies have shown 80% of people who have recovered could still get reinfected.

There are still a lot of things we don’t know about COVID-19—which is why this study can be helpful for the Institute. However, we do know that a recent study in Australia found that the COVID-19 virus can remain infectious on surfaces like banknotes, phone screens and stainless steel for 28 days.

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