The emergence of “variants of concern” has raised questions about our long-term immunity to COVID-19. Will the antibodies we make after being infected with or vaccinated against the dominant lineage, called D614G, protect us against future viral variants? To answer this question, scientists have been examining how our antibody responses to this coronavirus develop over time. Several studies have recently compared the difference between antibodies produced straight after a COVID-19 infection and those that can be detected six months later. The findings have been both impressive and reassuring. Although there are fewer coronavirus-specific antibodies detectable in the blood six months after infection, the antibodies that remain have undergone significant changes. Researchers have tested their ability to bind to proteins from the new COVID-19 variants and found that 83 percent of the “mature” antibodies were better at recognizing the variants. A recent preprint (a study that is yet to undergo peer review) also found …