Does the recovered status offer just as good protection against a corona infection as the vaccination?
Researchers have now published findings on this – and discovered a “super immunity”.
Innsbruck/Oregon – Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered are treated equally in retail outlets or in restaurants.
But are there differences from a scientific point of view?
Scientific studies from Innsbruck and Oregon now show: The recovered status alone provides significantly less protection against re-infection than vaccination.
The research teams also discovered a kind of “super immunity”.
Super Immunity: Recovered and vaccinated is the best protection
Anyone who has recovered and been vaccinated has a kind of “super immunity against renewed corona infection and is also better protected against other variants.
That's according to a study published in December by a team of researchers at Oregon Health & Science University.
The research team led by Fikadu G. Tafesse examined medical staff.
To do this, they compared 26 subjects who had been vaccinated with BNT162b2 from Biontech/Pfizer and who nevertheless became ill with 26 subjects who had been vaccinated with BNT162b2.
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Researchers have gained new insights into super immunity against corona.
© JOEL CARRETT / AAP / IMAGO
The results of this study showed a significant strengthening of the humoral immune response, i.e. the formation of antibodies after a breakthrough infection.
And this despite the predominantly mild illnesses of the study participants.
The scientists cite the different exposure pathways between vaccination and natural infection as a possible reason for this.
Cross-immunity was also significantly improved in those who were vaccinated and those who had recovered at the same time.
Study participants became infected with previous versions of the Delta variant, but also showed good immunity to the Delta mutation.
The test persons were therefore also well protected against other variants and mutations of the pathogen thanks to the vaccination and recovery.
The scientists themselves name the small number of study participants as one of the weaknesses of the study.
Recovered and vaccinated: Antibody levels also higher with the omicron variant
A research team from the Medical University of Innsbruck conducted a similar study on the omicron variant.
In the study, which was published in December as a preprint and in January 2022 in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine, the scientists working with Annika Rössler analyzed the number of antibodies in those who had recovered and those who were vaccinated compared to those people who were before or after a vaccination had been infected with Corona.
Scientists Annika Rössler, Lydia Riepler, David Bante, Dorothee von Laer and Janine Kimpel came to the conclusion that those who had recovered had the least protection against other variants.
Anyone who had undergone an alpha, beta or delta infection had hardly any antibodies against the omicron variant.
In people who were vaccinated twice, the number of antibodies against omicron was significantly higher.
The value was highest in vaccinated people who had been infected with Corona before or after the vaccination.
What effects the booster vaccination could have has not been investigated.
In this study, too, the number of subjects was in the two-digit range and therefore comparatively low.
Induce Super Immunity?
Researchers advise against intentional infection
Anyone who should now come up with the idea of intentionally infecting themselves with omicrons: Scientists don't think that's a good idea.
Even if Omikron is less dangerous compared to the Delta variant, there is still a risk of a severe course.
Likewise, some people suffer from long-term consequences of Corona, also known as Long-Covid.
About one in ten infected people experience long-lasting symptoms such as chronic fatigue, shortness of breath or shortness of breath, heart problems or neurological damage.
The renowned virologist Sandra Ciesek therefore considers an intentional infection to be negligent, as she explained in the NDR coronavirus update.
Rubric list image: © JOEL CARRETT / AAP / IMAGO
