Are you wondering if it is important to vaccinate those who have been infected with COVID-19? Here, you can learn about professional scientific viewpoints.
People who were infected with Covid-19 but recovered may be asking if they still need to be vaccinated. With limited vaccine funds, should we focus on protecting individuals who have never been infected? In this post, we’ll look at whether those who have been infected with covid-19 should be vaccinated, as shared by Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist.
Should people who have been infected with Covid-19 get vaccinated?
In fact, after being infected with COVID-19, the human body will produce an immunological reaction. However, this will vary from person to person and depending on whether the person has a moderate or severe infection. Many studies have shown that if a person has just weak or no symptoms, the amount of antibodies produced will be quite low. So this is why it is still suggested to vaccinate persons who have had COVID-19. The vaccine will work as a layer of protection to assist improve the immune system.
If we can still become infected and risk infecting others, what is the point of getting vaccinated?
There are 2 reasons why you need to get vaccinated. First, immunizations help stop you from being very ill if you are unlucky enough to get infected. You will lower your likelihood of needing hospitalization, intensive care, ventilation or, worst case scenario, death. As we know today, everyone is at risk. When infected with Covid, a typical healthy person is at 100% danger of death. That’s why we need to be vaccinated. Second, even while the vaccination cannot provide 100% protection, the odds of you getting infected and passing it on to others will be quite low.
We don’t want to become F0 and start a chain of infections. Controlling infection chains is also the foundation for illness prevention. As a result, decreasing infection rates, along with other preventive measures, is critical to successful epidemic prevention efforts.
What distinguishes antibodies produced after COVID-19 infection from those produced following vaccination?
Natural immunity following infection varies from person to person and is impossible to predict. Meanwhile, the antigen dose in vaccinations has been standardized based on the findings of various clinical trials. So, when a person is vaccinated, we may be confident that their immune system will respond appropriately. This is the primary distinction between natural immunity resulting from infection and immunity generated by vaccinations.
Scientists are attempting to undertake trials to assess the immune response in vaccinated persons who have recovered from the disease, as well as the immunological effect of mixing two distinct vaccinations. These two combinations are expected to generate a significantly higher immune response than either infection or vaccination alone.
To be sure, we have to wait for actual data. The good news is that all current SARS-CoV-2 variants can be prevented from causing severe illness or requiring hospitalization using currently licensed vaccinations.
However, adopting personal precautions such as wearing masks, keeping a safe distance, maintaining hand cleanliness, and avoiding crowded locations (5K), as well as other social and public health measures that the government has been implementing, is very necessary until we achieve herd immunity.
In addition to immunization, each person’s self-awareness and compliance with preventive measures are critical in attempts to minimize infection rates in the community.
Reference from “ Science in 5 ”