Coronavirus infection leads to immunity that’s comparable to a COVID-19 vaccine

[We Never Know]

I put this in debates because...people will disagree and debate on it rather than discussing it.

One of the enduring questions of the COVID-19 pandemic is how much immunity people are left with after recovering from a coronavirus infection. New research suggests the level of protection is comparable to getting a vaccine — at least for a few months.

Among a group of hundreds of thousands of Americans who tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the risk of developing a subsequent infection more than three months later was about 90% lower than for people who had not been previously infected and therefore had no immunity to the virus, according to researchers from the National Cancer Institute.

For the sake of comparison, when the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were tested in Phase 3 clinical trials, they reduced the risk of developing COVID-19 by at least 94%.

The findings, published Wednesday in JAMA Internal Medicine, could help inform plans for returning workers to their offices, sending students and teachers back to school campuses and allowing more of the economy to reopen.

“I think we knew this, that immunity [after natural infection] lasts a long time,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at UC San Francisco who was not involved in the new research. “But it’s still very exciting.”

COVID-19 Immunity After Infection Can You Catch It Twice?

 

[exchemist]

I put this in debates because...people will disagree and debate on it rather than discussing it.

One of the enduring questions of the COVID-19 pandemic is how much immunity people are left with after recovering from a coronavirus infection. New research suggests the level of protection is comparable to getting a vaccine — at least for a few months.

Among a group of hundreds of thousands of Americans who tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the risk of developing a subsequent infection more than three months later was about 90% lower than for people who had not been previously infected and therefore had no immunity to the virus, according to researchers from the National Cancer Institute.

For the sake of comparison, when the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were tested in Phase 3 clinical trials, they reduced the risk of developing COVID-19 by at least 94%.

The findings, published Wednesday in JAMA Internal Medicine, could help inform plans for returning workers to their offices, sending students and teachers back to school campuses and allowing more of the economy to reopen.

“I think we knew this, that immunity [after natural infection] lasts a long time,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at UC San Francisco who was not involved in the new research. “But it’s still very exciting.”

COVID-19 Immunity After Infection Can You Catch It Twice?

To be accurate, these studies have 2 important limitations:
- they only look at the 1st 3 months or so after infection and
- they only look at antibody levels, as these are quite easy to analyse for.

We will need more time to elapse, say 9-12 month studies - before we can reach any firm conclusion.

And, more crucially, we will need also to look at memory cell response. It is well known with many vaccines and infections that antibody levels can decline fairly fast. It is very hard, if not impossible, to analyse the persistence of memory cell response. You probably have to do it epidemiologically, i.e. by seeing who gets re-infected in real life. Much harder to do.

Your thread title is therefore not justified by the data available at this point.

We all hope that immunity following infection is as good as vaccination, though I draw readers' attention to the last paragraph:
As the researchers noted, the protection offered by a vaccine is decidedly preferable to immunity caused by a natural infection, as authorized and approved vaccines don’t carry risks as severe as those presented by natural infections.

So it is still far preferable to get vaccinated than run the risk of catching Covid, unless you are under 18 yrs old or so.

 

[stvdv]

I put this in debates because...people will disagree and debate on it rather than discussing it.

Coronavirus infection leads to immunity that’s comparable to a COVID-19 vaccine

That seems more than obvious to me

That is the whole point; our immune system fights Covid off. Vaccines are for those whose immune system are insufficient

 

[exchemist]

Coronavirus infection leads to immunity that’s comparable to a COVID-19 vaccine

That seems more than obvious to me

That is the whole point; our immune system fights Covid off. Vaccines are for those whose immune system are insufficient

This is quite wrong, for for two reasons:

1) People in good health, with good immune systems, can still get seriously ill with this disease, or can get long-lasting and debilitating after-effects.

2) Vaccination reduces the chance of an individual spreading the disease to others.

For both reasons, it is important for everyone to get vaccinated.

If you think, smugly, that you have a good immune system so you don't need the vaccine, you are (a) a fool and
( b ) a very selfish human being.

 

[Revoltingest]

If you think, smugly, that you have a good immune system so you don't need the vaccine, you are (a) a fool and
( b ) a very selfish human being.

I know that dealing with dangerous misinformation
is frustrating, but let's keep things less personal, eh.
No one's mind is changed by being dissed.

 

[stvdv]

This is quite wrong, for for two reasons:

1) People in good health, with good immune systems, can still get seriously ill with this disease, or can get long-lasting and debilitating after-effects.
2) Vaccination reduces the chance of an individual spreading the disease to others.

For both reasons, it is important for everyone to get vaccinated.

If you think, smugly, that you have a good immune system so you don't need the vaccine, you are (a) a fool and
( b ) a very selfish human being.

Above is quite wrong for many reasons; esp. as a reply to my post. But I am slowly getting used that this is your way of communicating

 

[stvdv]

I know that dealing with dangerous misinformation
is frustrating, but let's keep things less personal, eh.
No one's mind is changed by being dissed.

There was no misinformation ... just misinterpretation of him, due to "I do not know what" (maybe/probably reading more into my words than I was actually writing; I have seen him do that all the time with me. Slowly I get used to that. Good practice for me in equanimity)

 

[Revoltingest]

I've run across many who fear the vaccine more than the disease.
I've never been able to convince any to look at things quantitatively,
ie, the frequency & severity of the effects of vaccination vs Covid.
This guy is typical...
COVID patient in Louisiana says he'd opt for hospitalization again over vaccine

I see sources like OAN frightening people by showing videos of
one girl put in a wheelchair by a vaccine. Odd though...they never
show any of the hundreds of thousands of Ameristanians who died
or are lying in a hospital on the verge of death.

 

[Revoltingest]

There was no misinformation ... just misinterpretation of him, due to "I do not know what" (maybe/probably reading more into my words than I was actually writing; I have seen him do that all the time with me. Slowly I get used to that. Good practice for me in equanimity)

Our friend's reaction is to more threads than just this one.
But the titular claim is dubious, given the short time frame
of our experience with immunity.
We Never Know does strive for accuracy. And we're all
learning as time goes by. After all it is a novel coronavirus.

 

[Vinayaka]

The death percentage from Covid hovers around 2%. One in 50 die if they catch it. Regardless of how much immunity the remaining 49 people have, I'll take the vaccine over the disease.

 

[stvdv]

Our friend's reaction is to more threads than just this one.
But the titular claim is dubious, given the short time frame
of our experience with immunity.
We Never Know does strive for accuracy. And we're all
learning as time goes by. After all it is a novel coronavirus.

Exactly.
It's dangerous even to try like a dictator to rule out other people their opinions
That is not what democracy is about, even science learns by opposing opinions

More dangerous though is the arrogant way in which some continue to belittle others. Not once, not twice, not 10 times but many more times
Even after I told them quite a few times to stop with this behavior, that even violates RF Rules, and one should know it being on RF 3+ years

 

[Revoltingest]

Exactly.
It's dangerous even to try like a dictator to rule out other people their opinions
That is not what democracy is about, even science learns by opposing opinions

More dangerous though is the arrogant way in which he continues to belittle me. Not once, not twice, not 10 times but many more times
Even after I told him quite a few times to stop with this behavior, that even violates RF Rules, and he should know it being on RF 3 years

RF deities work in mysterious ways.

 

[stvdv]

One in 50 die if they catch it. Regardless of how much immunity the remaining 49 people have, I'll take the vaccine over the disease.

I would not rely on other's immunity either. And knowing my immune system is very, very low, I also take vaccines over 'for me' deadly viruses

 

[stvdv]

RF deities work in mysterious ways.

I love it, how you phrase this

And it is true, for me, RF is not just about the words and the meanings when people post and reply
Much more important is the opportunity to reflect and introspect, and watch my own emotions and learn from it

 

[We Never Know]

I would not rely on other's immunity either. And knowing my immune system is very, very low, I also take vaccines over 'for me' deadly viruses

Ive have had covid and haven't took the vaccine yet. This past Saturday I was around 3 people for a couple hours who all three tested positive for covid on Monday.
So I went to my Dr yesterday and got tested to be safe. Glad to say I was a negative.

 

[stvdv]

Ive have had covid and haven't took the vaccine yet. This past Saturday I was around 3 people for a couple hours who all three tested positive for covid on Monday.
So I went to my Dr yesterday and got tested to be safe. Glad to say I was a negative.

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate that.

That's a lot of people around you (3 out of 3) tested positive. I only have met 3 people who have had covid, and I heard 2 or 3 in the supermarket telling each other they had it. So far where I live there is less covid than elsewhere in Holland, so far I was fortunate to not get it

Good to hear a positive story ... you had covid, and did not get reinfected. I hope you have no nasty after effects (I read that some have this)

 

[We Never Know]

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate that.

That's a lot of people around you (3 out of 3) tested positive. I only have met 3 people who have had covid, and I heard 2 or 3 in the supermarket telling each other they had it. So far where I live there is less covid than elsewhere in Holland, so far I was fortunate to not get it

Good to hear a positive story ... you had covid, and did not get reinfected. I hope you have no nasty after effects (I read that some have this)

It was a dad and his two teens. I do not know if any of them had been vaccinated or not.
I delivered a horse to them. They called me Monday evening and told me they all had tested positive.