SPOKANE, Wash. — More than 18 million people in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19. With vaccines rolling out now nationwide, what should people who have had COVID-19 know?
While this has been seen as a sign of hope by many, it has also led to questions about the vaccination process.
KREM viewer Doreen asked, "If someone has tested positive for COVID-19, should they still plan to get the vaccine?"
Sources
To verify, we spoke with Dr. Payal Kohli, a cardiologist and disease prevention expert. We also looked for guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I already beat the virus?
"The CDC has not given formal guidance on this, but I would say that if I had gotten COVID-19 and recovered, I would still get the vaccine," Kohli said.
Kohli said there are multiple reasons that she would get the vaccine, one of which being that research has shown that people begin to lose the antibodies their body created after beating COVID-19 in the weeks after the illness. She also gave two other reasons.
"The first is, we know that not everybody who gets infected with COVID-19 makes antibodies. About five to six percent of people don't have an appreciable antibody response .... [and] we don't know yet whether the immune response, in response to the vaccine, is more robust, more potent and lasts longer possibly than natural immunity, Kohli said.
While the CDC hasn't given specific guidance, it has said that people who have recovered from COVID-19 may still benefit from being vaccinated. This is because, much like Kohli said, these people may still get re-infected and would again be at risk of severe complications, according to the CDC.
Like any vaccine, there are risks associated with the ones for COVID-19. Kohli said there was a theoretical risk of a person who beat the virus developing "sensitization" when they get the vaccine, which Kohli said is a condition where the immune system "kind of overreacts" when it gets the virus. But, Kohli said this has not happened during clinical trials of the vaccine.
Verdict
We can verify that yes, you can get the COVID-19 vaccine even if you have already beat the virus. If you have any questions or concerns, you should talk to your healthcare provider about the vaccine.
Have something you wanted verified? Email the KREM VERIFY Team at verify@krem.com, or text 'VERIFY' to 509-448-2000.