People who have contracted Covid-19 and who have received the anti-covid vaccine are less likely to contract a “severe” form of Covid-19 thanks to so-called “hybrid immunity”, indicates a recent study from the University of the Witwatersrand Vaccines and Infectious Analytics Research (VIDA).
This type of immunity is called hybrid immunity, sometimes also called “super immunity”and has been highlighted as the best way to reduce serious illness and death in people infected with the SARS-Cov 2 virus, the virus that causes Covid-19, says this study from South Africa.
“There are two types of immunity; the natural immunity that we develop through exposure to the virus and the vaccine-induced immunity that develops as a result of vaccination”said Dr Portia Mutevedzi, epidemiologist and researcher at Vida University.
According to research from this study titled “Population Immunity and COVID-19 Severity with Omicron Variant in South Africa,” humans need two types of immunity to best fight the coronavirus.
It would take a conjunction of natural immunity and induced immunity to form “hybrid” immunity. According to research, “The discovery of hybrid immunity to Covid-19 signals a hopeful turning point in the fight once morest the Covid-19 pandemic”says the eSwatini Ministry of Health.
Pour Portia Follower, “Hybrid immunity is considered a double layer of protection once morest Covid-19” and add that “research proves that vaccination saves lives”.
Of the population tested, research results showed that individuals were 93.1% more likely to have antibodies once morest the coronavirus, if they had both the vaccine and previous exposure to the coronavirus.
“This is particularly important for diseases such as Covid-19 which lead to severe illness and death. Vaccinating individuals even following they have had the disease ensures that they have higher levels of antibodies for a longer period of time”it says.
Due to this hybrid immunity, during the fourth wave, there were far fewer cases of hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus compared to previous waves, continues the same source. The omicron variant resulted in 1 in 100 cases requiring hospitalization compared to 1 in 24 previously.
The public should be aware that due to the unpredictable mutation of Covid-19, new emerging variants may require us to receive booster shots, the epidemiologist reminded, explaining that it is important, especially for groups at high risk, to get vaccinated and to receive booster doses, even if they have already suffered from the coronavirus, in order to maintain this hybrid immunity.
