Researchers say we should recognise the natural immunity in people who have recently been infected with COVID-19, but warn that their findings should not discourage vaccination because it is the safest way to acquire immunity.
Previous COVID infection boosts long-term immunity and lowers the risk of hospitalisation and death at the same level as vaccination, new peer-reviewed research shows.
One of the largest studies conducted on COVID immunity finds that previous infections provide protection for as long as vaccination, but experts caution vaccines are still the safer option.
Past infection with pre-Omicron variants provided substantially reduced natural immunity protection against reinfection with Omicron BA.1 (36 per cent at 10 months after infection).The
London, Feb 17: For someone previously infected with COVID-19, their risk of hospitalization or death is 88 per cent lower for at least 10 months compared to those not previously infected, according to a study published in The Lancet. The systematic review and meta-analysis included 65 studies from 19 countries including India and evaluated the effectiveness of past infection by outcome (infection, symptomatic disease, and severe disease), variant, and time since infection, the study said. Studies examining natural immunity in […]