NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – As vaccine mandates grow to be extra widespread, some are questioning why they need to get the vaccine in the event that they already had COVID-19. The state’s epidemiologist says it’s not clear if individuals who already had COVID have the identical degree of antibodies as those that are vaccinated.
Dr. Christine Ross, the state epidemiologist for the New Mexico Division of Well being, says the extent of immunity may rely on an individual’s response to the virus. “Individuals who grow to be contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 and have COVID-19 illness, they will have asymptomatic, delicate, all the best way to very extreme illness. And so it seems that your immune response after which maybe the robustness of that response and the length of that response may correlate to what kind of an infection or illness did you expertise,” stated Dr. Ross.
Dr. David Scrase, cupboard secretary for the Well being and Human Companies Division, says 12% of all New Mexicans have been contaminated with COVID-19 and of these folks, about half have additionally been vaccinated. Dr. Scrase says that means about 76% of individuals within the state have some degree of immunity which he says is encouraging.
Nonetheless, Dr. Scrase says it may very well be a while earlier than unvaccinated folks may bypass vaccination mandates by displaying proof of immunity by antibody checks. “Once you get the lab report again that claims whether or not they have antibodies or not .. the report says it’s not attainable to really interpret this info. There’s no steering in any respect. So earlier than we acquired to a spot the place pure immunity may let’s say a passport, we would wish a dependable method of measuring that immunity aside from the historical past of getting COVID,” Dr. Scrase stated.
Each docs are nonetheless encouraging folks to get the vaccine regardless in the event that they’ve had COVID or not.
