Some experts have also pointed tomounting evidencethat immune protection from natural infection is at least as protective as vaccination.
But in the United States, immunity status solely hinges on vaccination.
Theres no spot on the vaccine card to indicate recovery from a prior infection.
Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images
Many institutions and employers require workers, students, or visitors to be fully vaccinated and sometimes boosted.
The CDC says, No currently available test can reliably determine if a person is protected from infection.
In discussions about immunity, the focus tends to fall on the importance of antibodies.
Meanwhile, memory T and B cells areoften overlooked.
(Keep in mind that preprint studies have not been peer-reviewed by outside experts.)
In general, the severity of an illness determines someones antibody levels.
But thats not always the case, Goepfert said.
But we know that thats not necessarily the case, Goepfert said.
Plus, antibody levels are just one piece of the puzzle.
Knowing an individuals T and B cell levels could provide key information about their immune protection against reinfection.
However, testing for T cells can be difficulttheres currently only one commercially available test.
But Chin-Hong recommends not to wait for more than three months after recovery to get a booster dose.
Recovery from COVID-19 could only be considered equivalent to one dose of vaccine, or possibly less.
Are we equipped as a system to understand and to verify documented infections?
We probably could if we wanted to.
Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are developingOmicron-specific vaccines.
Pfizer said it began phase one clinical trials last week.
Until then, he said, we want to maximally protect people in the best way we know how.
Being vaccinated and receiving a booster is the best way to protect yourself and others from the disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:Estimated COVID-19 burden.
2021;371(6529):eabf4063.
2021;11(3):249. doi:10.3390/life11030249
