People Who Have Had COVID Get ‘Improved’ Protection Against Variants Of A Vaccine Dose – Study | UK News

For people who have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, it appears that the vaccine offers better protection against the variants if they previously had the virus.

Scientists have found that among those who have received only one vaccine but have not been infected in the past, the immune response against the variants of concern may be insufficient and has even been described as “weak” – but it is still sufficient for have some impact.

On the other hand, for those who have contracted coronavirus previously, a vaccine injection confers “vastly improved” protection, the experts found.

Researchers at Imperial College examined immune responses in healthcare workers at Barts and Royal Free hospitals in London after their first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.

They found that people who had already contracted COVID-19[female[feminine and had mild or asymptomatic symptoms had “significantly improved” protection against Kent and South Africa variations after the first jab.

And it is possible that the results apply to other circulating variants, such as those first identified in Brazil and India, say experts.

Some 731 healthcare workers were involved in the study, with around 20% having already contracted COVID, mostly infected during the UK’s first lockdown.

Professor of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine at Imperial, Rosemary Boyton, who led the research, said: “What we found was that you had really, really mostly improved responses if you had a history. infection (COVID-19). “

She said they were “in a different league” in terms of immune response, adding: “A previous infection saves your response from variants.

“You are much more likely to be protected against the Wuhan strain but also against the variants.”

Professor Boyton said those who had never had COVID “made less potent immune responses, which may make them vulnerable to infection,” adding that this underscored the importance of a second dose of vaccine.

Danny Altmann, professor of …