A number of new studies show that people who recover from COVID-19 develop a strong, lasting immunity to the virus, even if they developed only mild symptoms. After infections, people appear to develop, not just antibodies to fight the virus, but also B cells and T cells that help.

While we don’t know how long these immune responses will last, the data suggest that we will have a good chance of preempting the coronavirus faster and more aggressively if we’re exposed to it again. And while the flu can affect us every year because of its high mutation rates, coronaviruses don’t seem to mutate nearly as much.