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FACT BRIEF

Is natural immunity 'far superior' to COVID-19 vaccines?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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NO

The National Institutes of Health has emphatically stated that COVID-19 vaccines are vastly more effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths than immunity that was acquired by previous infection.

A claim on social media regarding naturally acquired immunity versus vaccine immunity in Israel is inaccurate because the comparison between vaccinated and non-vaccinated people is out of context.

The latest numbers in Israel show that 85% of adults are vaccinated, according to The Washington Post. The number of people with acquired natural immunity through previous infection is smaller than the group who are vaccinated. Therefore, more people in the larger group will get infected with COVID-19, but infection likely will be less serious.

Published data show that contracting COVID-19 when unvaccinated can be dangerous and deadly, while contracting infection after vaccination can greatly reduce or prevent serious illness or death.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
National Institutes of Health How Immunity Generated from COVID-19 Vaccines Differs from an Infection
Science Antibodies elicited by mRNA-1273 vaccination bind more broadly to the receptor binding domain than do those from SARS-CoV-2 infection
Washington Post Vaccine skeptics wrongly focus on Israel
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.