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Should healers get vaccinated against COVID-19? The topic raises a lot of emotions. However, studies recently published in Science provide evidence that yes – people with SARS-CoV-2 infection should have the vaccine. Particular attention is paid to discovering what happens to their organisms after inoculation. Then it comes to the so-called hybrid immunity. What is she?
- Hybrid immunity is a combination of natural immunity – after passing COVID-19 with artificial – after being vaccinated against COVID-19
- Research shows that naturally immune people may be more susceptible to some SARS-CoV-2 variants than vaccinated people
- Research published in Science shows that hybrid immunity is much stronger than natural immunity alone or obtained only by vaccination
- More interesting information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Natural and COVID-19 vaccine immunity may differ
The topic of vaccinating convalescents against COVID-19 is exciting. As Dr. Bartosz Fiałek noted on social media a few days ago, “some doctors believe that the immune response that is generated after contracting COVID-19 (natural) is sufficient and you should not get vaccinated. Some people believe that the entire COVID-19 vaccination course should be taken. Others (including me) believe in the effectiveness of the indirect route – vaccinate convalescents, but with one dose of mRNA preparation ».
New light on the need to vaccinate people after contracting COVID-19 has been provided by a recent study in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
One of the most important questions scientists are asking is how long does immunity to coronavirus last after vaccination and disease. Finding the answer, however, is not so easy, and this is due to the new variants of the coronavirus appearing in the world. There are concerns that some may find ways to avoid acquired immunity. Moreover, a study conducted by a team of researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (USA) shows that the answer to this question will differ depending on whether the antibodies are produced by passing COVID-19 or receiving a vaccine against the disease.
Researchers from the aforementioned center have shown that antibodies generated in response to the mRNA vaccine will target a wider range of SARS-CoV-2 variants than antibodies generated by “disease”.
“These findings suggest that the natural immunity and immunity produced by the vaccine will differ in the way it recognizes new variants of the virus,” notes Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (part of the US Department of Health and Human Services) on his blog. The doctor notes: “It is not entirely clear why there are these differences in antibody responses induced by vaccine and infection”.
There are several theories that may explain this. ‘It is possible that mRNA delivery could alter the way antigens are presented to the immune system, leading to differences in the antibodies produced,’ noted Dr Collins. The doctor also points out that “natural SARS-CoV-2 infection is mainly due to the presence of the virus in the respiratory tract (unless the disease is very severe), and the vaccine is administered to the muscles, which may facilitate a more effective immune response”.
Hybrid immunity. “Unexpectedly strong immune response”
The second study, published a few days ago in Science, provides further evidence of the need to vaccinate convalescents. The work showed what happens in the body of a person after infection with SARS-CoV-2 after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
It turned out that people who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 (and thus obtained natural immunity) and had been vaccinated against COVID-19 (artificial immunity), obtained, as Bartosz Fiałek notes, “an unexpectedly strong immune response”.
«These people develop superhuman immune responses»Said Dr. Shane Crotty from La Jolla Institute for Immunology. The combination of natural and artificial immunity is defined as hybrid immunity.
We already mentioned that naturally immune people may be more susceptible to some SARS-CoV-2 variants than vaccinated people. Meanwhile, a study published in Science showed that vaccinating convalescents against COVID-19 causes their immune system to produce about 100 times more antibodies to the Beta variant than in unvaccinated convalescents (who underwent non-beta COVID-19). Compared to people who had not been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and had been vaccinated, the number of antibodies produced against the Beta mutation was 25 times higher.
Do you want to test your COVID-19 immunity after vaccination? Have you been infected and want to check your antibody levels? See the COVID-19 immunity test package, which you will perform at Diagnostics network points.
The findings confirm what the American government agency CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) emphasizes all the time. – People who have contracted COVID-19 should get vaccinated, Dr. Shane Crotty reminds.
Finally, it is worth recalling the words of Dr. Bartosz Fiałek once again. – This once again shows that people who have acquired a natural response are WORTH vaccinating against COVID-19, although it seems that one dose of the mRNA preparation against COVID-19 will be SUFFICIENT.
You may be interested in:
- Which vaccines protect against the Delta variant? [WE CHECK]
- Can I vaccinate against COVID-19 in the heat? The doctor explains
- Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Who will need it?
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