Michigan Hospital System Says Workers With Natural COVID-19 Immunity Don’t Need Vaccine

Workers at Michigan-based Spectrum Health can avoid the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate if they can prove they have natural immunity to the virus.

“While we still recommend vaccination for people who have been previously infected with COVID-19, according to this new research, there is growing evidence that natural infection offers protection against re-infection with COVID-19 and severe symptoms over a period of time, “Spectrum said in a statement. , according to local media. “Current studies are not clear on how long natural immunity protects against reinfection.”

Under hospital policy, workers will be required to undergo an antibody test to prove they are immune.

Natural immunity, which means that a person has contracted COVID-19 and has recovered, is rarely discussed in national conversations about vaccines, although some studies have shown that people previously infected have shown evidence of ‘significant resistance to the virus.

Researchers in Israel found that a previous infection provided better protection for individuals against the Delta variant than Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine.

“This analysis demonstrated that natural immunity provides longer lasting and stronger protection against infections, symptomatic illnesses and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant,” said researchers from Maccabi Healthcare and Tel Aviv University. .

On September 11, Biden administration COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci said another new Israeli study on natural immunity sparked discussion among experts.

“I don’t have a really firm answer for you on this,” Fauci replied to a question about whether previously infected people should be vaccinated.

“This is something we will need to discuss regarding the sustainability of the response. The only thing the paper from Israel didn’t tell you is if, regardless of the protection against natural infection, how durable is the durability versus the durability of a vaccine? Fauci asked rhetorically. “So it is conceivable that you have been infected, you are protected, but you cannot be protected indefinitely,” he added.

A landmark study by Emory University and published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine in July found that people with natural immunity display long and robust protection against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus (Party Chinese Communist).

“We saw that antibody responses, especially IgG antibodies, were not only long-lasting in the vast majority of patients, but degraded at a slower rate than expected, suggesting that patients generate plasma cells for longer. lifespans that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, ”Rafi Ahmed, director of the Emory Vaccine Center and senior author, told the Emory News Center on July 22.