Natural Immunity is Real
Antibody testing and proof of infection in lieu of vaccination
You probably heard about the sit down Joe Rogan and Sanjay Gupta had in early October. Among other things, they talked about natural immunity from COVID-19. Joe Rogan has recovered from COVID-19 and believes that he has natural immunity to the disease. Sanjay Gupta doesn’t believe in natural immunity from COVID-19.
Before COVID-19 it was generally assumed that one had natural immunity from a disease if one had already recovered from it. In the US, however, recovering from COVID-19 doesn’t count and vaccination is recommended even to those who have already had the disease.
Natural immunity and vaccination
Here’s how Harold Buttram, MD — an old time family physician — explained the difference between natural immunity and vaccination to me when I was a young parent.
If the immune system is maintained “battle ready” by healthful living, adequate rest, sanitation, and simple and wholesome nutrition, then many diseases will pass as subclinical infections without actual illness, or if there is illness, it will be relatively mild. Under these circumstances, we may assume that small amounts of antigenic (infectious) material break through the outer defenses. This limited penetration is probably sufficient to produce an immune response but not to cause illness or to overwhelm the immune system. Natural Immunity is based on this principle of small doses.
The first difference, then, between…vaccines and natural immunity is in the quantity of antigenic material. In the former there is the introduction of massive quantities of antigen into the system; in the latter the quantities are small. The second major difference…is in the route of introduction into the system. Most unnoticed infections enter through the mucosal surfaces of the body (respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and so forth) and result in mucosal immunity. Most modern vaccines, on the other hand, are injected directly into the bloodstream.
Recent studies show natural immunity works
The US public health community and the CDC fail to acknowledge the findings of hundreds of studies on the lasting effects of natural immunity to COVID-19.
Unites States
According to the January 26, 2021 National Institute of Health (NIH) study, “Lasting immunity found after recovery from COVID-19:”
- The immune systems of more than 95% of people who recovered from COVID-19 had durable memories of the virus up to eight months after infection.
- The results provide hope that people receiving SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will develop similar lasting immune memories after vaccination.
A study published in Science in February 2021, “Immunological memory to SARS-CoV-2 assessed for up to 8 months after infection,” found that “durable immunity against secondary COVID-19 disease is a possibility for most individuals.”
A June 2021 study, “Necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in previously infected individuals” examined the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 among 52,238 employees of the Cleveland Clinic Health System and concluded that:
Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before.
On January 19, 2022, the CDC released the results of a report on thousands of COVID-19 hospitalizations in California and New York. Natural immunity was found to be more effective against the Delta variant than vaccine alone. According to the CDC:
Before Delta became the predominant variant in June, case rates were higher among persons who survived a previous infection than persons who were vaccinated alone. By early October, persons who survived a previous infection had lower case rates than persons who were vaccinated alone.
England
An English study published in The Lancet in April 2021 found that “A previous history of SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with an 84% lower risk of infection, with median protective effect observed 7 months following primary infection.”
Israel
A large population based study in Israel from April 2021, “Protection of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection is similar to that of BNT162b2 vaccine protection: A three-month nationwide experience from Israel,” found that both vaccination and natural immunity protected from future infections, with natural immunity being slightly more effective:
Vaccination was highly effective with overall estimated efficacy for documented infection of 92·8%
Similarly, the overall estimated level of protection from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection for documented infection is 94·8%
This is the conclusion of the Israeli study:
This study suggests that both the BNT162b2 vaccine and prior SARS-CoV-2 infection are effective against both subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection and other COVID-19–related outcomes. Moreover, the effectiveness seems similar for both cohorts. This puts into question the need to vaccinate recent (up to six month) previously-infected individuals.
Brownstone Institute
The non-profit Brownstone Institute for Social and Economic Research has documented 145 research studies that affirm naturally acquired immunity. The institute recommends assessing existing immunity before any vaccination with either an “accurate, dependable, and reliable antibody test (or T cell immunity test) or “documentation of prior infection (a previous positive PCR or antigen test.)”
Such would be evidence of immunity that is equal to that of vaccination and the immunity should be provided the same societal status as any vaccine-induced immunity. This will function to mitigate the societal anxiety with these forced vaccine mandates and societal upheaval due to job loss, denial of societal privileges etc. Tearing apart the vaccinated and the unvaccinated in a society, separating them, is not medically or scientifically supportable.
The Brownstone Institute also highlights studies that show that the vaccinated can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others.
This troubling situation of the vaccinated being infectious and transmitting the virus emerged in seminal nosocomial outbreak papers by Chau et al. (HCWs in Vietnam), the Finland hospital outbreak (spread among HCWs and patients), and the Israel hospital outbreak (spread among HCWs and patients).
World Health Organization recognizes natural immunity
In May 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated their scientific brief on COVID-19 and natural immunity to now say that “within 4 weeks following infection, 90–99% of individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus develop detectable antibodies.”
To conclude, available tests and current knowledge do not tell us about the duration of immunity and protection against reinfection, but recent evidence suggests that natural infection may provide similar protection against symptomatic disease as vaccination, at least for the available follow up period.
India has natural immunity
What happened in India is an interesting example of natural immunity. As you know, the delta variant was originally called the “Indian variant” because its first outbreak occurred in India. When it surged through the country, it overwhelmed the health care system and resulted in millions of deaths. But, then, its incidence dropped as dramatically as it had risen, despite the fact that only 10% were then vaccinated. Even now, only 45.8% are considered fully vaccinated, but according to an article in The Economist,
A survey of blood samples…showed that more than 90% of Delhi’s residents have antibodies against covid-19 coursing through their veins. Having weathered the crisis at its worst, Indians are kept safe by natural immunity.
More side effects among the vaccinated
Of concern is a July 2021 prospective observational study of 627,383 vaccinated individuals which found that:
Systemic side-effects were more common (1·6 times after the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and 2·9 times after the first dose of BNT162b2) among individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection than among those without known past infection.
Similarly, an online survey of 2002 vaccinated respondents, 26.6% of whom had a previous COVID-19 infection, found that:
A prior COVID-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of any side effect. It was also associated with an increased risk of severe side effects leading to hospital care.
Green Pass allows for natural immunity
Israel was the first country to use a Green Pass, a paper document or app that proves the holder has been fully vaccinated and Israel offers the Green Pass to “those who have recovered once or twice and have not been vaccinated.” They are eligible for a Green Pass valid for up to six months from the date of the last certificate of recovery.
A way forward
In a May 2021 Op-Ed in Infectious Disease, Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH, a former CDC medical officer and Noah Kojima, MD argue that if we quit ignoring natural COVID-19 immunity, we can use antibody testing and proof of prior infection to allow more people to return to normal.
Moving forward, policymakers should include natural immunity as determined by an accurate and reliable antibody test or the documentation of prior infection (previous positive PCR or antigen test), as evidence of immunity equal to that of vaccination. That immunity should be given the same societal status as vaccine-inducted immunity.
Updated on October 30, 2021, January 10, 2022 and January 19, 2022.
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