02 Nov COVID-19: CDC Finds Vaccination Provides Better Protection Than Prior Infection

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Bozio

Catherine H. Bozio, PhD MPH
Epidemiologist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: We wanted to understand what protection previous infection with
SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and COVID-19 vaccination can provide.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Is the finding true of all the available vaccines?  With/without booster shots?

Response: Among people who were hospitalized with COVID-like illness, CDC found that those who were unvaccinated and had a recent infection were 5 times more likely to have COVID-19 than those who were recently fully vaccinated and did not have a prior infection.  The study looked at more than 7,000 people who were hospitalized in 187 hospitals across 9 states between January and September 2021.

This analysis included fully vaccinated adults who received 2 doses of either mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.  This analysis did not include the Janssen vaccine, and the report’s findings should not be generalizable to the Janssen vaccine.  This analysis did not evaluate the receipt of COVID-19 booster doses.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: The data demonstrate that vaccination can provide a higher, more robust, and more consistent level of immunity to protect people from hospitalization for COVID-19 than infection alone for at least 6 months.  CDC recommends all eligible people should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, including unvaccinated people previously infected with COVID-19. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: This study focused on the recent protection from infection-induced and vaccine-induced immunity among adults hospitalized with symptoms similar to COVID-19, though it is possible that estimates could be affected by time.  Understanding infection-induced and vaccine-induced immunity over time is important, particularly for future studies to consider.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: These findings are among adults hospitalized with symptoms similar to COVID-19, and the main analysis focused on recent protection from either prior SARS-CoV-2 infection or from full vaccination of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (specifically, 3-6 months since prior infection or vaccination). I have nothing to disclosure.

Citation:

Bozio CH, Grannis SJ, Naleway AL, et al. Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Among Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19–Like Illness with Infection-Induced or mRNA Vaccine-Induced SARS-CoV-2 Immunity — Nine States, January–September 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 29 October 2021. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7044e1external icon. 

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Last Updated on November 2, 2021 by Marie Benz MD FAAD