A study by Yale University analyzed the protective capacity of antibodies generated by both the COVID-19 vaccine and natural infection.
The Yale study concluded that the risk of COVID-19 reinfection stands at 5% at three months after recovery and decreases to 50% at 17 months. By contrast, COVID-19 vaccine protection against infection can wane to a mere 20% as early as five months after full vaccination.
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The researchers examined the role of T-cells and B-cells in COVID-19 infections and differences in protection produced by vaccines and natural infection. When infected with COVID-19 for the first time, both T-cells and B-cells play a role in combating the infection.
However, the researchers found that when mice that had been vaccinated or had recovered from a natural infection became sick again later, they were still protected from infection — even if the scientists had selectively removed the T-cell part of their immune response. This indicates that antibodies alone, produced by B-cells, could protect against reinfection. The study was published in the journal Science Immunology on Sept. 2.
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One of the unique aspects of mRNA vaccines is that they are easily modifiable, according to Jon Klein, a graduate student at the Iwasaki Lab.
Although mRNA vaccines are a relatively new technology, they have proven to be highly effective in prevention.
Although those who contract COVID-19 naturally generate antibodies that can protect against reinfection, the vaccine standardizes this protection, according to Klein.
Medical histories, genetics and other factors can all play a role in the quality of antibodies that people can produce through natural infection. Some immune systems do not really make great antibodies while others do, according to Klein.
Read more: San Diego Scientists Working on A Vaccine Against All Coronaviruses. Yes, All of Them
The research, published this week in the journal Nature, also found that people who were vaccinated after having COVID-19 had stronger immunity to variants than those who were vaccinated but had not had the disease.
The study was conducted during an increase in so-called breakthrough infections, mostly caused by the delta variant, in vaccinated people, according to a release.
Read more: Vaccines Update: No Covid-19 Vaccine Doesn’t Stay in Your Body For Years
The research also affirmed that booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, both mRNA vaccines, are effective against the coronavirus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 53.4 percent of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against the virus.
Read more vaccine related news here with us at the East County Gazette.
