Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021
Is natural immunity ‘far superior’ to COVID-19 vaccines?
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.
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
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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