This information was accurate at the time of publication. Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some information may have changed since the original publication date.
So, you got COVID-19. Luckily, you recovered and are back to living your normal life. COVID-free, immune to any future infection, no vaccination needed. Right?
Although there is some natural immunity and protection from a repeat infection of COVID-19 after recovering from the illness, a COVID-19 vaccine can help prevent you from developing severe disease and hospitalization.
So, do you need to get vaccinated if you have already contracted and recovered from COVID-19? University of Utah Health experts, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), say yes.
The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older, regardless of a previous COVID-19 infection.
"While there is some evidence natural infection provides strong immunity, there is variability from person to person and less predictability than vaccine immunity," says Emily Sydnor Spivak, M.D., M.H.S., an associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at University of Utah Health.
A CDC study shows that those who have had COVID-19 and are not vaccinated, are more than twice as likely than those who are fully vaccinated to contract COVID-19 for a second time. And avoiding COVID-19 also means sidestepping any potential short or long-term side effects of the disease.