A research study has revealed that COVID-19 vaccine could offer protection against severe illnesses making it to even easier to survive the new variant of coronavirus.

Oxford Vaccine Group Andrew Pollard told the BBC that Oxford/AstraZeneca could offer protection against possibility of developing severe illness- a stage considered dangerous for patients carrying the virus.

He said, “So, that does mean that it’s likely over time that the virus will find ways of adapting so that can continue to pass between people.”

“But that doesn’t mean that we won’t still have protection against severe disease… The virus is much more about the virus being able to continue to survive, rather than trying to cause harm to us,” he further said.

His statement comes at a time that a study done by UK organisation—the UK Bionank—revealed that survivors of the COVID-19 virus develop enough antibodies to protect them from reinfection for atleast six months.

“The vast majority of people retain detectable antibodies for at least six months after infection with the coronavirus,” said Naomi Allen, a chief scientist at the UK Biobank told Reuters.

Conducted in the UK, the study revealed that 99 per cent of the COVID-19 survivors were found with antibodies after three months, while 88 per cent of them had the antibodies after six months.

“Although we cannot be certain how this relates to immunity, the results suggest that people may be protected against subsequent infection for at least six months following natural infection,” Allen said.