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Study: COVID-19 vaccine provides substantial protection against reinfection

While many people have developed long-lasting natural immunity after contracting the virus, the new research shows that the COVID-19 vaccine is still vital.

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By Alice Clifford via SWNS

Even if you've had COVID-19, the jab provides substantial protection against reinfection, a new study reveals.

Researchers found that the vaccine offered between 60 and 94 percent protection for people who had previously had the virus.

While many people have developed long-lasting natural immunity after contracting the virus, the new research shows that the COVID-19 vaccine is still vital.

Katrine Finderup Nielsen, from the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, and lead author of the study, said: “In our study we find a significant vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, and this shows the importance of vaccination also for those who might be protected by natural immunity.”

The team analyzed infection and vaccination data across the country.

This data included all people living in Denmark who tested positive for the virus or were vaccinated between January 2020 and January 2022.

The data included more than 200,000 people who tested positive for either the Alpha, Delta or Omicron variant of the virus.

Researchers found that with people who had been previously infected, the vaccination offered up to 71 per cent of protection against reinfection against the Alpha variant, 94 percent against the Delta variant and 60 percent against the Omicron variant.

They also discovered that this protection lasted up to nine months.

According to a study conducted by John Hopkins University School of Medicine, the level of antibodies that fight against COVID-19 stay higher for a longer time in people who have been infected by the virus and have been fully vaccinated.

In the UK, around 24 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded since the pandemic begun. Since then, almost 54,000,000 people have received their first dose of the vaccine and just over 40,000,000 people have been given their third.

However, the study is too short to determine whether the vaccine protects against severe outcomes such as death and hospitalization.

To answer this, more research must be done over a longer period of time.

This new study, published in the journal, PLOS Medicine, can provide insight into vaccine effectiveness and can help decision makers plan the timing and execution of vaccination strategies to make them the most effective.

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