Drug Discovery and Development

COVID-19 vaccination halves reinfection risk according to CDC study

The study, though encouraging, was conducted before the rise of the Delta variant.

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Coronavirus vaccine

[Image courtesy of Wikipedia]

Among those with previous COVID-19 infections, those who were unvaccinated were 2.34 times more likely to get infected again than vaccinated individuals, according to a CDC report.

“Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious Delta variant spreads around the country,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

The study drew from COVID-19 cases in Kentucky from May to June 2021, before the Delta variant became widespread.

The study had 246 cases of COVID-19 and 492 controls. In the total population, 83% had prior COVID-19 infections between October and December 2020.

The study authors noted that the continued emergence of new variants could influence infection-acquired immunity. Prior studies have shown that natural infection leads to a weak or inconsistent response to multiple variants of concern.

The study authors noted that the study had several limitations. For instance, investigators did not confirm reinfection with whole-genome sequencing. They also postulate that vaccinated individuals may be less likely to seek COVID-19 testing.

The authors concluded that additional data might be required to bolster the findings.

Filed Under: Infectious Disease
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About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

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