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Here’s a question on many people’s minds as the coronavirus continues to spread and vaccines become more available: Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine if I’ve had the virus?
Health experts say yes. Regardless of the previous infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people should plan to get the vaccine when it’s their turn.
“It’s a pretty simple question,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, Johns Hopkins infectious disease specialist. “Yes, you need to get the vaccine.”
Once someone recovers, their immune system should prevent them from getting sick again right away.
“Your immune system is able to identify the virus and protect itself,” said Dr. Saskia Popescu, infectious disease specialist at George Mason University.
Scientists are still not sure exactly how long this immunity lasts or how strong it is, although recent research suggests that the protection could last for several months.
It’s impossible to know how long a person might be immune, said Dr Prathit Kulkarni, an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine. “There is no way to calculate this.”
Vaccines, on the other hand, are designed to elicit a more consistent and optimal immune response. And they should boost any pre-existing immunity a person might have against an infection, experts say.
“Since we are in this pandemic, and we have no control, the safest approach is to vaccinate,” Kulkarni said. “You lose nothing and you will benefit from it.”
If you’ve been infected in the past three months, the CDC says it’s okay to delay vaccination if you want to let others start when stocks are limited.
“All other things being equal, you would want the unprotected person to come first,” Adalja said.
In New Jersey, more than 214,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine were administered on Monday, according to Governor Phil Murphy. The state plans to provide daily updates on the vaccination process under a new tab on the coronavirus dashboard.
The number of 214,000 includes 199,293 first doses and 14,984 second doses.
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