Vaccine-induced COVID immunity versus natural immunity: Which protects you better?

Coronavirus is a highly transmissible disease and the only way to ensure safety against it is by building a certain level of immunity. While health officials in and around the world are urging people to get themselves vaccinated, studies have shown that immunity against COVID-19 can also be achieved through natural infection, which is said to be more robust and effective. However, this does not mean natural immunity lasts for a lifetime. Given the emergence of new variants, chances of reinfection cannot be overlooked, which is why getting yourself vaccinated is of utmost importance.

If you're someone who has previously been infected with the SARs-COV-2 virus, you can certainly expect to have developed a certain level of immunity against the deadly virus.

As and when you're infected, your body's immune system recognizes the virus and responds to combat the deadly pathogen, leading to possible inflammation, which then spreads to other parts of the body. During this entire process of getting infected and recovering, antibodies are produced, which go on to build a lasting immunity.

While there has been no solid evidence confirming the duration of immunity from COVID infection, there have been studies that have indicated that immunity to the Sars-Cov-2 may be long-lasting. According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York , it was found that immunity among people who were previously infected lasted from six months to a year. It was also claimed that they developed better protection after getting vaccinated.

If you were infected with COVID-19 in the past, as per experts, you can defer vaccination for up to 3 months. Earlier when COVID infections were on the rise and vaccine shortage was a significant problem, in an attempt to bridge the gap between vaccine availability and wide-spread vaccine administration, health authorities had asked the recovered COVID patients to wait for at least 3 months to get vaccinated.

Read more: Explained: Why recovered COVID patients need to defer vaccination by 3 months

But with new emerging variants and a fear of reinfection, people have started to get themselves vaccinated before 3 months. Natural immunity is surely very effective, but there is no evidence that getting a vaccine reverses that effectiveness. However, it is important to know which provides you with better immunity - Immunity from COVID infection or vaccine-driven immunity.

Currently, the only COVID-19 vaccines that have received authorized emergency use approvals are mRNA vaccines and viral vector vaccines. These vaccines either contain fragments of the virus strain or a form of spike proteins that imitate the actual virus. Once a person receives his or her COVID shot, their body's immune system recognizes the inactive virus particles or spike protein and prompts necessary inflammatory reactions, which then leads to side effects. During this process, antibodies are created, which then provides protection when the body comes in contact with the actual SARs-COV-2 virus.

Read more: Coronavirus: How long would immunity from COVID-19 vaccines last?

Immunity against coronavirus has remained a point of discussion since the onset of the virus. While scientific evidence has indicated that natural immunity can prevail for 6 months to a year, it is said to be at its peak for around 90 days post-infection and starts to diminish thereafter.

Comparatively, immunity acquired from COVID vaccines are said to be longer-lasting. Some studies have even claimed neutralizing antibodies persist, even in the presence of emerging variants that have higher resistance to these antibodies.

While breakthrough infections have raised alarms among people, experts have said that it can lower the risk of severe illness and hospitalization.

Amid the havoc wreaked by new emerging variants, including the Delta variant which is a variant of concern, it is important to determine which type of immunity - vaccine-induced or natural immunity - works best against the emerging variants of concerns.

Both COVID vaccines and past COVID infection provide a certain level of immunity against coronavirus. However, it is believed that vaccine-generated immunity are stronger and more effective against the variant of concern and interest both. Given the vaccines have been clinically tested and proven effective against many of the variants, it is said to reduce risk of severe complications. In opposition, there is not enough data to prove natural COVID immunity is efficacious against the emerging variants.

Read more: Coronavirus vaccine: Does the vaccine still build immunity even if you don’t have side-effects?

Right now, experts and scientists are looking into different means and methods to explore the chances of increased efficacy.

Mixing and matching COVID vaccines is when a person has already got their first dose of a specific vaccine, and then decides to get a different vaccine as their second dose. This has been carried out in many of the European countries, since many had already got their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, which later was banned in many countries in Europe. The cocktail of vaccines have proven effective up until now and have no adverse reactions, reports suggest.

So, when it comes to vaccine-induced immunity, there is surely an advantage. They can undergo timely upgrades, which makes them more effective. The recent buzz around COVID booster shots only provides a sense of relief and certainty. The United States had recently approved the use of a third COVID dose for those with a compromised immunity.