Thread by @DearPandemic

1/ Do I need the vaccine if I’ve already been infected w/ COVID-19? Isn’t natural immunity better?

A: COVID-19 vaccines produce STRONGER & MORE CONSISTENT antibody responses than natural infection, meaning EVERYONE can benefit from the protection.

💥Don’t give away your shot!

2/ As more people become eligible for the COVID-19, we’ve heard some people who’ve already been infected, especially younger people, doubting whether they need the vaccine.

3/ We now have good evidence that vaccines produce HIGHER antibody levels on average against SARS-CoV-2 than natural infection, & people vaccinated after previous infection get a BIG boost.

4/ In fact, a single dose of vaccine after a COVID-19 infection provides a boost of immunity in many cases HIGHER than the immune response for never infected individuals after two doses of the #vaccine.

@florian_krammer

medrxiv.org/content/10.110…?

5/ There are still many unknowns about natural #immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Natural immunity is highly variable-for many it is high & durable, but some people produce low levels of #antibodies or ones that fall quickly.

thelancet.com/journals/lanmi…

6/ Vaccines also likely protect better against the new variants. A study found that blood from previous COVID-19 patients was less effective at neutralizing the B.1.351 variant.

7/ After 1 dose of vaccination w/ Pfizer or Moderna shot, those antibodies rose a 1000-fold and could neutralize the new variant…. as well as the original SARS-CoV-1 virus from 2003 (WOW!).

medrxiv.org/content/10.110…?

8/ A recent studyt tested how well blood from previously infected COVID-19 patients compared to vaccinated individuals could neutralize 4 different SARS-CoV-2 variants including the more transmissible B.1.1.7.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…?

9/ This figure shows that antibodies from vaccinated individuals on average had much higher neutralizing activity against all variants than did blood from people previously infected with COVID-19.

10/ Finally, a recent study in pregnant women also found that vaccine-induced immune responses were significantly higher than the response in pregnant women with natural infection.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33758889/

11/ Even better, vaccinated women passed on much higher levels of protective antibodies to their fetus or newborn than the women with antibodies from previous COVID-19 infection.

#pregnancy @BumpClubBeyond

12/ ⬇️ BOTTOM LINE:

💥COVID-19 vaccination provides stronger & less variable antibody response than natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

💥 Getting a vaccine after a COVID-19 infection provides a turbo-boost of immunity, which may be particularly helpful against new variants.

13/ 💥 Even if you’ve had a confirmed previous infection, getting vaccinated can dramatically increase your protection.

Don’t give away your shot!

Love,
Those Nerdy Girls

#vaccines #antibodies #immunology #variants #NerdyGirlNation

14/ Additional links: nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NE…?

15/ science.sciencemag.org/content/early/…?

16/ pbs.org/newshour/healt…?