Fauci lacks 'firm answer' on COVID-19 natural immunity question
Asher Notheis | WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he did not have a "firm answer" when asked if natural immunity offered better protection from COVID-19 than the vaccine.
"I don't have a really firm answer for you on that. That's something that we're going to have to discuss regarding the durability of the response," Fauci said.
TRANSCRIPT:
GUPTA: “And just real quickly, there was a study that came out of Israel about natural immunity. And basically, the headline was that natural immunity provides a lot of protection, even better than the vaccines alone. How — what do — what are people to make of that? So, as we talk about vaccine mandates, there are — I get calls all the time, people say, ‘I have already had Covid. I’m protected. And now the study says maybe even more protected than the vaccine alone.’ Should they also get the vaccine? How do you make the case to them?”The research from Israel, Fauci noted, did not address the durability that natural immunity offers, and he said that it is possible for a person to recover from COVID-19 and receive natural immunity, but then, that person might not be protected for nearly as long as the protection the vaccine offers.
FAUCI: “You know, that’s a really good point, Sanjay. I don’t have a really firm answer for you on that. That’s something that we’re going to have to discuss regarding the durability of the response. The one thing the paper from Israel didn’t tell you is whether or not as high as the protection is with natural infection, what’s the durability compared to the durability of a vaccine? So, it is conceivable that you got infected. You’re protected, but you may not be protected for an indefinite period of time. So I think that is something that we need to sit down and discuss seriously, because you very appropriately pointed out it is an issue. And there could be an argument for saying what you said.”
"I think that is something that we need to sit down and discuss seriously," he added.
There has been debate about whether those who have been infected with COVID-19 need to get the vaccine.
“Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that I’m not getting vaccinated because I’ve already had the disease, and I have natural immunity," Sen. Rand Paul said in a radio interview in May.
The Biden administration revealed a new federal vaccine mandate last week that affects up to 100 million people in a bid to curb COVID-19.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie argued on Sunday that the rules will "harden opposition" to getting inoculated.
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