Fact check: If you had COVID, should you get the vaccine?
Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician identified as a top spreader of anti-vaccine misinformation on Facebook, dismissed the need for vaccination in people who have had COVID-19. PolitiFact consults expert sources to check his claim.
Posted — UpdatedAs the U.S. tries to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, skeptics on social media are challenging the efficacy of vaccines for people who were previously infected by the virus.
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.
For this fact check, we wanted to know if medical experts agreed with Mercola’s claim that a prior COVID-19 diagnosis means you shouldn’t need to get vaccinated.
We should note that the science regarding how much protection a natural infection offers compared with a vaccine is still developing. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccines for people 12 and older, even if they have been infected before.
Mercola cites multiple studies
In an emailed statement to PolitiFact, Mercola said, "Natural immunity induces lasting antibody protection, and individuals who have had an SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from a COVID-19 vaccination."
"We do not know how long the immune system will protect itself against re-infection after COVID-19," the statement said. "It is safe to receive the COVID-19 vaccine even if you have previously tested positive, and we recommend all those who are eligible receive it."
Ellebedy said he encourages vaccination even if someone has been previously infected, and that his study should not be cited as a reason for a previously infected person to not get vaccinated.
"Our study shows that mild SARS-CoV-2 infection induces persistent immune molecules that are directed against the virus but does not address whether these levels of immunity can actually protect against infection," Ellebedy said. "Also, it is important to remember that not all infected people mount a robust immune response, so it is wrong to generalize and say ‘if you are infected, you are protected.’"
"The vaccines are eliciting even more immunity than natural infection," Crotty said. He also reiterated Ellebedy’s point that the immune response to a natural COVID-19 infection can vary widely from person to person. Crotty said that these two factors have contributed to the public health recommendation of still getting vaccinated if you’ve been infected, and that he would get vaccinated if had COVID-19.
Vaccines broadens immunity
A natural infection could probably protect against hospitalization and death from a subsequent infection, possibly up to a few years, but it might not protect someone from a newer strain of the virus, said Dr. Paul Offit, chair of vaccinology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.
"Your natural infection will provide protection against whatever (strain) you were naturally infected with, but now there's a different virus circulating," Offit said. "So by getting a vaccine, you'll have a broader immune response to a more diverse population of SARS-CoV-2 viruses."
"It gives them a strong, lasting immunity boost," Klein said. "After receiving the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, they have immunity levels comparable to those of uninfected people who have received their second dose."
Offit said that in light of these studies, one mRNA shot could suffice in people who have been previously infected.
"There is no downside to vaccinating. All vaccination does is broaden and lengthen your immunity," Offit said.
PolitiFact ruling
Mercola wrote, "It makes no sense to require vaccinations for the previously infected."
Experts are unsure exactly how long someone is protected against COVID-19 after they have been infected. The CDC says vaccination is a more effective way of building protection against the virus, including variants.
The authors of the studies Mercola cited recommended that people who were previously infected with COVID-19 still get vaccinated. They say vaccination does make sense, because everyone can have varying degrees of immunity and it is unclear how long natural immunity lasts.
We rate Mercola’s claim False.
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