Some people who’ve had COVID are reluctant to be vaccinated believing their antibodies will protect them, but Ochsner Health Director of Infection Control and Prevention Dr. Katherine Baumgarten said their antibodies might not be enough for the growing variants.
“That vaccine does give a broader range of immunity than perhaps native infection does, that’s one of the reasons we’re still recommending the vaccine, despite any prior history of COVID,” said Baumgarten.
Researchers say while previous infections generally do leave survivors protected against serious reinfection, blood tests have indicated that protection drops against worrisome variants like Delta and Lambda. Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas said he’s even had the discussion with previously infected employees.
“If you had COVID last year you didn’t have the COVID Delta variant, so you don’t have immunity to that variant, so you need to be getting vaccinated,” said Thomas.
A recent Gallup survey indicated a previous infection is one of the main reasons COVID survivors won’t get vaccinated believing they are protected. Thomas said a CDC study offers real-world evidence disputing the belief that previous infection offers ideal protection.
“Frankly sometimes you feel like you know folks are kind of working against you. We’re just trying to take care of people when there’s a lot of folks out there spreading misinformation it’s very difficult,” said Thomas.
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