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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More from @DrTomFrieden

9 Jul
How big of a threat does the Delta variant pose? New developments show that the challenges we face in controlling Covid are immense. Millions of lives are at stake globally. 1/
It’s now clear that Delta spreads more readily than initial strains of Covid. It’s at least two times as infectious. bit.ly/3hLFTU0 2/
Delta may or may not be more deadly on a case-by-case basis, but because there are so many more cases, more people will get very sick, and more will die. 3/
Read 15 tweets
2 Jul
Vaccines Stop Cases…If They’re Given

The Delta variant poses a huge threat—but not to vaccinated people. Unvaccinated people are still being hospitalized and killed by Covid, and we’re seeing worrying Delta-fueled outbreaks, particularly in places with low vaccination rates. 1/
Don’t get caught up in fears that Delta is evading vaccine immunity. Our vaccines are working. Evidence has shown that mRNA vaccines provide excellent protection, J&J announced that their vaccine is likely also effective against Delta. bit.ly/3he9SoU 2/
Good news: Getting vaccinated virtually eliminates your risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid. bit.ly/3jztwwT 3/
Read 11 tweets
21 May
Taming the World’s Leading Killer

An article was published this week that has findings which could save millions of lives. Why did you miss it? Because there was zero media coverage of it. Zero! Tells you something. Tells you a lot, actually. So, here are the details. 1/thread
High blood pressure is the world’s leading killer – and will kill more people, including more young people, than COVID-19 this year. It can be prevented (mostly by lowering sodium) & treated, but, globally, only 1 in 10 people with high blood pressure have it controlled. 2/
Elegant studies by @SarahLewington2 prove for every 20-point increase in blood pressure, the death rate from cardiovascular disease DOUBLES. What’s more, this starts at a blood pressure of 115/75 – way below the usual level at which we treat, or toward which we aim treatment. 3/
Read 14 tweets
18 May
Estimated excess mortality during the pandemic far outstripped officially reported Covid deaths in most countries. However, many countries, and in particular low- and middle- income countries, don’t estimate excess deaths econ.st/33VduV6 1/
Statistical modelling by @TheEconomist suggests the Covid death toll is between 7.1m and 12.7m. That means the official death toll represents, at best, about half the true toll and, at worst, a quarter of it. 2/
Most uncounted Covid deaths occurred in LMICs. In OECD countries, the true death toll was estimated to be 1.2 times the official number; in parts of Africa, it was estimated to be 14 times the official number. 3/
Read 4 tweets
14 May
A Tale of Two Pandemics

The pandemic won’t be over until most of the world is vaccinated, but access is a HUGE challenge.

Globally, we must scale up manufacturing and vaccinate the 50M health workers & 1B people over 60. In the US, we must proactively reach the unreached. 1/
Vaccine inequity is a serious problem, both ethically and epidemiologically. It increases the risk that dangerous variants will emerge. Wealthy countries have excess vaccines while lower and middle-income countries go without. 2/ Image
The reality is that global vaccine supply will lag the need for at least a year. Open IP is a step, but we need much more—transfer of vaccine technology and hubs for production. We can also be more strategic in use of the vaccine that is available. 3/
Read 23 tweets
13 May
The Last Pandemic?

The Covid pandemic has killed 3+ million people and driven 115M people into extreme poverty. It will cost the world $22 trillion by 2025. And it didn't have to happen.

A new report could be pivotal in efforts to prevent the next pandemic. 1/
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (@TheIndPanel) was created last year by @WHO to ensure the world is better able to address health threats such as Covid. They released a sweeping new report. nyti.ms/2RS1TTV 2/
Because the recommendations detailed in the report are so important, I’m going to highlight some of them in the hope that the story of Covid isn’t repeated. Read the report here: bit.ly/3w6nEyr 3/
Read 24 tweets

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