Get vaccinated even if you’ve contracted COVID-19, study finds



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Even those who have had COVID-19 should be vaccinated, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests. A study at the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), shows 2.3 times the number of re-infections with natural immunity compared to breakthrough infections in vaccinated people.

CDC investigators looked at data from Kentucky residents infected with COVID-19 in 2020. They compared the immunization status of people re-infected in May and June 2021 to residents who had not been re-infected.

“May and June were selected due to vaccine supply considerations and eligibility requirements; this period was more likely to reflect residents’ choice to be vaccinated, rather than eligibility to receive the vaccine, ”the study said. “The control participants were residents of Kentucky with a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 who had not been re-infected until June 30, 2021.”

The possible damage from COVID-19 variants, such as the Delta variant and the lambda variant, appeared to be high on the considerations of CDC investigators. The new variants could weaken the protection provided by having been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, the MMWR study states.

“For example, a recent laboratory study found that sera collected from previously infected individuals prior to their vaccination provided a relatively weaker, and in some cases absent, neutralizing response to the B.1.351 (Beta) variant compared to Wuhan-Hu of origin. -1 strain, ”says the study.

CDC investigators add that “the results of this study suggest that among those previously infected, full vaccination is associated with a reduced likelihood of re-infection and, conversely, being unvaccinated is associated with a higher likelihood of re-infection. ‘to be re-infected’.

But what about those who are partially vaccinated?

“The lack of a significant association with partial vaccination compared to full vaccination should be interpreted with caution given the small number of partially vaccinated people included in the analysis (6.9% of patient cases and 7.9 % of controls), which limited the statistical power “, he added. The study indicates that” the lower probabilities of reinfection among the partially vaccinated group compared to the unvaccinated group suggest a protective effect and correspond to results of previous studies indicating higher titers after the first dose of mRNA vaccine in previously infected individuals. “

Meanwhile, research unveiled by Public Health England (PHE) in its latest technical briefing on variants underscores how variants pose such a challenge to healthcare systems. It shows that the Delta variant is still largely dominant across the UK, accounting for around 99% of cases. The briefing includes updated hospitalization data for Delta, which shows that in the period since the last update on July 19, 2021: “1,467 people have been hospitalized with cases of Delta confirmed by sequencing or genotyping. “

Of these, 808 (55.1%) were not vaccinated, while 512 (34.9%) had received both doses of a vaccine. Although vaccines offer high levels of protection, they are not 100% effective and will not prevent everyone from catching COVID-19. As the population gets vaccinated, we might see a higher relative percentage of people vaccinated in the hospital.

“Currently 58% of the population in the UK are fully vaccinated,” according to the New York Times. “This would equate to an overall effectiveness of vaccination in preventing hospitalizations of 35%. “

This confirms data from Israel’s Health Ministry which shows decreased vaccine protection in people over 60 years of age and over 5 months after vaccination. Like Infection control today® reported, 8.6% of breakthrough infections in this group of elderly patients resulted in hospitalization and 2% resulted in death.

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