Although the Coronavirus vaccine is absolutely necessary and provides a lot of protection even for those who have already been infected with the virus once, there has been a lot of controversy about how many doses a patient recovering from coronavirus may need from the vaccine. One dose or two doses of the vaccine, according to the “Times of India” website.
Many experts agree that a person who has already had coronavirus once before may only need one dose of the vaccine, compared to someone without a history of infection.
Why Do Recovering Patients Still Need to Be Vaccinated?
Natural immunity begins to build up after infection with the coronavirus and increases defensive antibodies that remain at their peak for a while.
It is believed that immunity remains at significant levels for up to 90 days (higher in severe cases) and, in some cases, lasts the entire life which are reasons why a person who has recently recovered from coronavirus needs a late dose or two of the vaccine.
Your Natural Immunity May Decrease for a While After Infection
Although a person who had coronavirus acquires a certain level of immunity, there is evidence to suggest that a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine, in addition to the current level of immunity, leads to a good immune response, which would be equal to the effect of two doses given to a person with no history or immunity against the coronavirus.
Will the Second Dose of the Coronavirus Vaccine be Useful?
There is research demonstrating that a second dose of the vaccine may not actually be required for those recovering from coronavirus, for example, studies have noted that people who had coronavirus and recovered show stronger immune responses with single doses, and tend to respond less with second doses.
It has also been shown that acquired immunity is through the first dose, that is, the levels of antibodies are often equal or greater than those who were not previously infected and received double doses.
Another scientific study, published in the scientific journal Nature, found that a single dose was necessary for people who had coronavirus and recovered.
The study, which included 26 participants who had the virus early during the pandemic, showed a significantly high immune response with a single dose of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna).
A similar study, conducted by a leading hospital chain based in India, noted that a single dose of Kovishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca) vaccine not only boosts antibody production, but also works well enough to support a recovering patient who receives the vaccine.
One of the reasons that recovered patients may need only one dose is because of the function that memory T cells and B cell responses play in addition to having a natural immunity. Vaccine-induced immunity may lead to a better and stronger response to antibodies, which are also better remembered by T cells. memory.
The response to a single dose of the vaccine was also equal to that of subjects who received two doses of the vaccine.
