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"Infected and recovered" antibody levels are often lower than vaccinated, and natural immunity may dissipate faster as well. You should get vaccinated as long

by smt88 5y ago

"Infected and recovered" antibody levels are often lower than vaccinated, and natural immunity may dissipate faster as well. You should get vaccinated as long as you don't know your antibody levels.

h2odragon 5y ago
There's debate about that; I have read the opposite (natural recovery results in longer immunity) recently as well. In the face of question, there, I tend to trust the longer history of the immune system over the vaccine.
- smt88 5y ago
  The research has shown conclusively that individuals have vary different antibody levels after Covid recovery. There is no blanket advice. The longer history of the immune system is 0% relevant. If the immune system could be "trusted", we wouldn't need most modern medicine at all.
dragonwriter 5y ago
Also, because vaccines (at least the mRNA ones) target highly conserved elements of the spike protein, they are likely to be more effective against other variants than natural immunity (which tends to target multiple different, but not necessarily highly-conserved, elements of the particular strain that you got.)
melenaos 5y ago
I have read that the Pfiser vaccine must be repeated after 6 months. And the other Covid viruses provide immunity for 2 years.
- smt88 5y ago
  Whatever you read is nonsense. There is no universal principle for these things. Getting Pfizer every 6 months may end up being a good idea, but it'll be because it's the most conservative approach -- not because everyone's immunity disappears in 6 months. Anything that says natural immunity lasts for 2 years is lying because the virus has not been observed in humans for that long yet.
  - melenaos 5y ago
    I was refering to previous coronaviruses, we have data for these and they seem to leave an immunity of one or two years https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-comments-made-by-dr-maria-van-kerkhove-at-the-who-that-there-is-no-evidence-antibody-tests-can-show-that-an-individual-is-immune-or-is-protected-from-the-infection/ https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-commen... Also they study old patients and the immune system goes strong for over 8 months, showing that it can last much longer: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/eabf4063 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/eabf4063

by smt88 5y ago

"Infected and recovered" antibody levels are often lower than vaccinated, and natural immunity may dissipate faster as well. You should get vaccinated as long as you don't know your antibody levels.

h2odragon 5y ago

There's debate about that; I have read the opposite (natural recovery results in longer immunity) recently as well. In the face of question, there, I tend to trust the longer history of the immune system over the vaccine.

smt88 5y ago
The research has shown conclusively that individuals have vary different antibody levels after Covid recovery. There is no blanket advice. The longer history of the immune system is 0% relevant. If the immune system could be "trusted", we wouldn't need most modern medicine at all.

dragonwriter 5y ago

Also, because vaccines (at least the mRNA ones) target highly conserved elements of the spike protein, they are likely to be more effective against other variants than natural immunity (which tends to target multiple different, but not necessarily highly-conserved, elements of the particular strain that you got.)

melenaos 5y ago

I have read that the Pfiser vaccine must be repeated after 6 months. And the other Covid viruses provide immunity for 2 years.

smt88 5y ago
Whatever you read is nonsense. There is no universal principle for these things. Getting Pfizer every 6 months may end up being a good idea, but it'll be because it's the most conservative approach -- not because everyone's immunity disappears in 6 months. Anything that says natural immunity lasts for 2 years is lying because the virus has not been observed in humans for that long yet.
- melenaos 5y ago
  I was refering to previous coronaviruses, we have data for these and they seem to leave an immunity of one or two years https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-comments-made-by-dr-maria-van-kerkhove-at-the-who-that-there-is-no-evidence-antibody-tests-can-show-that-an-individual-is-immune-or-is-protected-from-the-infection/ https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-commen... Also they study old patients and the immune system goes strong for over 8 months, showing that it can last much longer: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/eabf4063 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/eabf4063