An article published in Medspace warns that health policies in most countries continue to ignore the effect of immunity acquired through infection without vaccination.
Antibodies after an infection are robust and long-lasting, and besides the fact that reinfection levels are very low, they protect against progression to severe disease. This is confirmed in a study from Qatar in which cases of reinfection (confirmed with a PCR test) rarely progress to critical or severe illness.
The article points out that reinfection to date is an “uncommon” event and a recent study shows robust antibody levels 20 months after a positive PCR test. Another study presented by the article points to no benefit in vaccinating previously infected people.
On the other hand, vaccine immunity seems to lose its effectiveness as a study from Sweden demonstrates. The article issues a warning that vaccination after an infection has a higher incidence of adverse effects.
Despite all the evidence pointing to lasting and effective immunity, the policy applied by most countries appears to be contrary to this fact. The vast majority only recognize “recovered” status for six months, some countries for only three months and cases such as Canada and the United States do not.
Another article published in the BMJ points out that the need to vaccinate after infection is not based on data. It, therefore, makes an urgent appeal to review the importance of recovered people and the recommendation of vaccination of previously infected people.
