Covid-19: Vaccination, natural infection mount stronger response after second dose, says Centre

All COVID-19 vaccines are primarily disease-modifying and don’t prevent infection while hybrid immunity achieved through vaccination coupled with natural infection mount a stronger response and robust antibody titers after the second dose, the government said on Thursday.

ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said the durability of immunity post COVID-19 vaccination persists for nine months and the durability of immunity post-infection is also for about the same period of time.

“Hybrid immunity, which is developed as a result of vaccination and natural infection, mount a stronger response and robust antibody titres after the second dose.

“If you have had an infection and vaccination your immune response is more than only infection or vaccine. So the important thing is that vaccination is absolutely essential,” he said.

He, however stressed, said that masking before and after vaccination is a must.

Earlier and currently circulating strains of coronavirus spread through the same routes, Bhargava said, adding treatment guidelines for the infection remain the same.

He said 90 per cent of India’s adult population has been administered the first dose of coronavirus vaccine while 63.5 per cent people are now fully vaccinated.