Cleveland Clinic study: ‘No additional benefit to vaccinating those who already been infected’

A new study by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic published a pre-print (not peer-reviewed) paper in medRxiv that shows that individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection do not get additional benefits from vaccination.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Researchers also include vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before.

Check out the paper here: Necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in previously infected individuals

The Cleveland Clinic did put out a statement days after the research was published:

“Cleveland Clinic recommends those who are eligible receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We recently shared research that provides insight into how the immune system protects the body after a confirmed COVID-19 infection. The study followed Cleveland Clinic caregivers over five months as the vaccination process was beginning. The data showed that the vaccine was extremely effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. In addition, we found that none of the previously infected employees who remained unvaccinated were re-infected over the duration of the study.  This information could help guide vaccination efforts should there be a shortage of vaccine supply and in countries where vaccine supply is limited.

“This is still a new virus, and more research is needed. It is important to keep in mind that this study was conducted in a population that was younger and healthier than the general population. In addition, we do not know how long the immune system will protect itself against re-infection after COVID-19. It is safe to receive the COVID-19 vaccine even if you have previously tested positive, and we recommend all those who are eligible receive it.”

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