PORTLAND, Maine — A common question among those thinking about getting the COVID-19 vaccineis, "should I get the vaccine if I've already had and recovered from the virus and have antibodies?"
Doctor Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, addressed this very question in a meeting with Maine's Health and Human Services Committee via Zoom on Wednesday, citing the CDC and NIAID, adding that the two doses of the vaccines "produce a stronger immune response than merely having just gotten infected naturally."
The CDC said the immunity some gets from having an infection varies from person to person.
"Yes. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that reinfection with COVID-19 is possible, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection. If you were treated for COVID-19 symptoms with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Experts do not yet know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called “natural immunity,” varies from person to person. It is rare for someone who has had COVID-19 to get infected again. It also is uncommon for people who do get COVID-19 again to get it within 90 days of when they recovered from their first infection. We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well the vaccines work.
Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are working to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.