Vaccinated Americans were less likely to test positive for Covid-19 than people who had "natural immunity" from a previous infection, according to a Friday study from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, adding yet another data point to the investigation into whether vaccines or prior Covid-19 cases are a better defense against the virus. The CDC study had a few limitations, its authors noted. In particular, it didn’t measure the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine, and some patients’ prior infection status may have been misclassified, partly because vaccinated people could be less likely to seek out Covid-19 tests. Evidence on the power of prior Covid-19 infection — or “natural immunity” — has varied, and other recent studies have suggested previously infected people could have strong protection. In Friday’s study, the CDC pointed to an August paper from Israel that found people who’d previously contracted Covid-19 in early 2021 were far less likely to catch the delta variant or be hospitalized this summer than patients who took the Pfizer vaccine at the beginning of the year. The CDC’s paper noted “the benefit of more recent vaccination was not examined” in the Israeli research. Also, a study from the U. K.’s Office of National Statistics this month said people with natural immunity had around the same level of protection as vaccinated people. Some 77.8% of eligible Americans have taken at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot, according to CDC data, meaning tens of millions of people are unvaccinated. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky pointed to Friday’s study as further proof the vaccines are highly effective at staving off severe coronavirus cases, and encouraged people with prior infections not to reject them. The CDC has previously argued natural immunity’s longevity is unknown, and some experts believe that previously infected people could build even stronger protection against the coronavirus if they also get vaccinated. For example, last month’s study from Israel found patients who’d previously caught Covid-19 and took a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine “gained additional protection” from the delta variant.“We now have additional evidence that reaffirms the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, even if you have had prior infection,” Walensky said in a statement Friday. Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, has pushed back on some workplace vaccine mandates partly because he believes they neglect protection from natural immunity. He argued in a September Washington Post op-ed that “the emerging science suggests that natural immunity is as good as or better than vaccine-induced immunity.”Prior Covid Infection Is As Effective At Preventing The Virus As Vaccination, U. K. Study Suggests (Forbes)
All data is taken from the source: http://forbes.com
Article Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/10/29/vaccines-offer-more-protection-against-covid-than-prior-infection-cdc-study-suggests/
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