More than 80 million people have been infected with COVID-19 across the world. The crisis still looms large as the virus continues to be on rampage debilitating people and economies. More than 1.8 Million could not see the new year 2021. But a glimmer of hope has come in form of the vaccines which have been authorised for the emergency use. These vaccines are now also being given to the general public to help them be immune to COVID-19 virus.
But, here a big question comes because of availability of these vaccines in low quantities right now:
Should the people already infected with COVID-19 also be vaccinated?
And the answer is: Yes
When a person gets infected with covid-19, the body’s immune system responds by making antibodies which are proteins that bind to the virus and renders it harmless. So, infected person would have developed some level of immunity, most likely. But the experts say that these people too, need to get vaccinated. Here are some reasons for it:
1) Different immune systems have responded differently to the virus. In some cases the antibodies lasted for 8 months while in very few there were cases of re-infection as well. This might be because immunity which comes in first infection is either weak or diminishes over time. Actually, no one knows how long does natural immunity last. The highest level of antibodies have been found in people who were severely impacted by the disease, the asymptomatic infections may result in low antibody levels.
2) Immune response to the vaccine is expected to be uniform and predictable. It is possible that vaccines may result in a better immune response than natural infection.
3) If vaccination is to be done selectively, the bigger issue will be of testing people for antibodies prior to vaccination. This will increase the cost, time, logistics and manpower. Doing pre vaccination testing on a routine basis can be a nightmare.
So, even when priority for vaccination is being accorded to the frontline warriors like health care workers and the elderly, the people those who have been infected with covid-19 should also be vaccinated at some point, if not on priority basis.
Living W/ Creator 