Those who have been infected with corona may be better protected against the delta variant of the virus than those who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, according to a new study.
But it is still a bad idea to contract the infection on purpose, the researchers emphasize.
Investigating possible side effects
Not peer-reviewed
The study was conducted by Israeli researchers by comparing the immunity of the population using tens of thousands of journals.
It has not yet been peer-reviewed and published, but a pre-version has been posted Medrxiv.
And the differences are huge. According to the researchers, there is a six to thirteen times greater risk of becoming infected with the delta variant if you have been vaccinated and previously uninfected than if you have had covid-19.
– This is a school example of how natural immunity is actually better than vaccination. As far as I know, this is the first time that it has really been proven in a covid-19 context, says Charlotte Thålin at Karolinska Institutet to Science Magazine.
– The vaccines work wonders
– Stronger protection
She is herself a specialist at Danderyd Hospital and responsible researcher for the Swedish Community study, which earlier this summer showed that even mild covid-19 provides good protection against the alpha and delta variants.
In the Israeli study, the researchers mapped infections, symptoms and hospitalizations between June 1 and August 14 this year, when the delta variant dominated in Israel.
– This study shows that natural immunity provides a longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, disease symptoms and hospitalization against the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the researchers at Medrxiv write.
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