Study: COVID Infection Reduces Hospitalization And Death Risk

(CTN News) – Vaccination provides longer protection against COVID-19 than being previously infected, according to a recently published study in The Lancet.

“Natural immunity” has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 88 percent for about 10 months according to one of the largest studies based on data from 19 countries.

As a result, natural immunity is as durable as two doses of Pfizer’s or Moderna’s vaccines, the study stated on Friday.

According to the authors, COVID-19 immunity provides substantial protection against infection with pre-Omicron variants.

A recently developed Coronavirus variant, like Omicron, may erode protection gained from an earlier infection more quickly than older ones.

In the studies on Omicron, past infection is very efficient at preventing severe disease and hospitalization, but vaccination and infection do not provide as much immunity. “That’s immune escape,” Chris Murray, co-author of the report, told Al Jazeera.

Omicron can evade past immunity and infect you, but not necessarily cause severe disease and death. This is according to Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Researchers noted that immunity conferred by past infections should be considered when estimating future disease burden from COVID-19. As well, guidance needs to be provided on when a person should be vaccinated as well as how to design policies that require vaccinations or restrict access.

A total of 65 studies were reviewed from 19 countries up to September 2022, so some covered the period when Omicron swept the globe.

The authors report “very high” protection against reinfection by pre-Omicron variants, even after 40 weeks.

“Omicron BA.1 variant protection was significantly lower and declined more rapidly over time compared to previous variants,” the researchers noted.

All variants, however, showed high protection against severe disease, according to the study.

Furthermore, people with immunity from a pre-Omicron variant saw their protection against reinfection wear off much more quickly, dropping to 36 percent after 10 months.

The importance of vaccinations

According to the authors, vaccination, the safest method to obtain immunity, should not be discouraged.

If you have never had the disease and have not been COVID vaccinated, you are at a substantial risk the first time you get infected,” Murray explained. “This infection gives you some long-lasting immunity, but getting vaccinated is much safer.”

“If you are in a high-risk category such as over 60, have comorbidities, diabetes, or a high body mass index, you must keep your immunity high. “A booster is a great strategy,” he said.

As more vaccinated people get re-infected, they will acquire “hybrid immunity” in the future.

According to Cheryl Cohen, an epidemiologist at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, most infections happen in people with strong immunity to severe disease.

It is possible that COVID may have a low seasonal hospitalization burden, similar to other COVID , Cohen stated in a Lancet commentary.

SEE ALSO:

Chikungunya Response To Be Strengthened By Caribbean Nations, Says PAHO