Individuals infected with the coronavirus are unlikely to catch the illness again for at least six months, researchers at the University of Oxford have said.

The finding comes as part of a large-scale study into Covid-19 reinfection after observations from healthcare professionals that the phenomenon was relatively rare.

Oxford University Professor David Eyre, one of the authors of the study, said the findings were “really good news”.

“We can be confident that, at least in the short term, most people who get Covid-19 won't get it again,” he said.