Study shows downside of not receiving second shot of COVID-19 vaccine

Prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 does not guarantee a high level of antibodies, nor does it guarantee a robust antibody response to the first vaccine dose. This directly contradicts the assumption that contracting COVID will naturally make someone immune to reinfection. The findings further support vaccination (and two doses), even for people who have contracted the virus previously.

Washington: A new study has shown that two months after the second Pfizer/Moderna vaccination, antibody response decreases 20 percent in adults with prior cases of COVID-19. The study also tested how well current vaccines resist emerging variants. The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’. The Northwestern University study underscored the importance of receiving a second dose of vaccine, not only because it is commonly known that immunity from vaccines wanes over time, but also because of the risk posed by emerging variants, including the highly contagious delta variant. The study also showed that prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 does not guarantee a high level of antibodies, nor does it guarantee a robust antibody response to the first vaccine dose.