Vaccination gives you higher antibody levels and much stronger protection against Covid than natural infection, according to the best data we have today. If you recovered from Covid but still haven't been vaccinated, you may be vulnerable to reinfection—especially by Delta.
We're still learning about the duration and robustness of different types of immunity, but research suggests that people who've already had Covid are safer when they're vaccinated. Some examples:
In one study, antibody titers in people who received mRNA vaccines were up to 10 times higher than in people who recovered from natural infection. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Antibodies post infection have been shown to decline over time. In one study, among 156 health workers who had antibodies from Covid infection, 94% experienced a decline around 60 days later. 28% seroreverted to below the positivity threshold of the test. bit.ly/3wtEDKy
A large-scale serial serosurvey from the UK of 365,000 adults showed a significant decline (25%) in antibody levels during three months before vaccines were available. spiral.imperial.ac.uk/handle/10044/1…
There’s a lot we don’t know, and we’ll only know for sure when we study breakthrough infections and re-infections. Lab data is suggestive, but not definitive.
A new study, published today in @Nature, offers even more evidence that vaccination is necessary for people who've recovered from Covid to fend off variants. nyti.ms/3AMqhbU
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