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According to a study published in the journal The Lancet, a Covid-19 infection protects as much as the vaccine.
« Even if an infection gives protection that diminishes over time, the level of this (…) seems to be as long-lasting, if not more so than that conferred by vaccination », says the study whose comparison is based on the vaccines messenger RNA from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, spearheads of vaccination campaigns in many Western countries.
Numerous studies have already dealt with this subject, but this one is on an unprecedented scale. In their work, the researchers compiled around sixty pre-existing studies with a follow-up of several years which notably takes into account the emergence at the end of 2021 of the variant Omicron.
This study thus gives a more precise vision of what can be expected within the population from the development of an immunity ” hybrid as more and more people have been both vaccinated and sick at least once. “ In the long term, most infections will strike people who are well protected against severe forms, as a result of previous infection, vaccination, or both. “, underlined researchers, not involved in the study, in a commentary also published by the Lancet.
These results therefore give hope that future waves of Covid will result in low levels of hospitalizations, they conclude, noting however that these results do not mean that it is similar to get vaccinated or to catch the disease. Falling ill remains more risky, especially for the elderly.
(With AFP)