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The CDC published research claiming that natural immunity from COVID-19 offered greater protection than vaccines during the Delta wave.
“Previous studies have demonstrated that infection with SARS-CoV-2 is highly protective against reinfection and symptomatic disease,” the report said.
The studies were conducted in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Denmark. They say that there is approximately an 85% lower risk of reinfection for 5 to 7 months after having the disease. “Duration of immunity beyond this period is unknown, but recent findings suggest that vaccine-induced immunological responses (e.g., neutralizing antibodies) wane after 6 months.”
Benefits of natural immunity
The CDC explained that the research is being conducted to help the government establish an efficient vaccination strategy. “Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 offers strong protection against reinfection with the highly transmissible Delta variant. We also found that such natural immunity appears to persist for at least 13 months.”
They added that “Understanding the effectiveness of prior infection against Delta is important, as it can inform vaccination strategies in countries with vaccine constraints and SARS-CoV-2 transmission models.”
