People who have had COVID are twice as likely to be re-infected as those who get vaccinated, CDC says

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – This is the argument that some have used for not getting vaccinated. “I have had COVID – so I don’t need to get the vaccine.”

Turns out that’s not quite true. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study on Friday indicating that people who have had COVID are twice as likely to be re-infected.

RELATED: COVID Testing Demands ‘Crushing’ San Francisco Community Testing Sites

Luz Pena: “Does it depend on the level of virus with which they have been infected?

Dr Timothy Henrich: “It appears to be the case and we don’t know exactly how long the protection against natural infections will last or how long will last,” said Henrich, resident professor of medicine at UCSF.

Dr Henrich has studied the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and says the immune response from natural infection is not as high.

RELATED: California To Require Healthcare Workers To Be Vaccinated By September 30 Under New Order

“Antibody responses and immune responses in cells or, for example, T cells that recognize SARS-CoV-2 infection can persist for months. Eight to 12 months after natural infection and most likely after vaccination. these immune responses are overtime in the longer term, ”said Dr. Henrich.

In the CDC study, residents infected with COVID in 2020 underwent reinfection between May and June 2021. It was around the same time that the Delta variant intensified across the country.

RELATED: Moderna Vaccine Remains 93% Effective Against Symptomatic COVID At 6 Months, Company Says

“I hope this will prompt a number of people who thought they did not need a vaccine to get vaccinated and get that protection,” said Dr Deepak Srivastava, President of Gladstone President.

Delta variant accounts for over 83% of viruses in the United States

RELATED: Pandemic Burnout Forcing Some Nurses To Leave Emergency Departments As Wave 4 Of COVID Approaches

Dr Deepak Srivastava agrees with the CDC data, but says re-infections among unvaccinated people could be higher than expected.

“I think it’s very likely because we know the Delta variant is so much more contagious,” Dr Srivastava said.

The latest data shows that mRNA vaccines continue to be over 90% effective in preventing hospitalizations.