Studies reveal: Value of Hybrid Immunity

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

January 23, 2023 – The highest level of COVID-19 immunity has been observed in individuals who have been both vaccinated and recovered from the disease. This is according to a report investigating COVID immunity after one year compiled by the World Health Organization and The Lancet and released on January 18th.

Data from 26 studies showed that this mix of natural and vaccine derived protection, known as ‘hybrid immunity’, remains high after an entire year combating both severe disease and hospitalisation when compared to unvaccinated and uninfected individuals.

WHO said “The analysis shows that hybrid immunity provides higher protection, demonstrating the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19.”

Despite the waning protection of both natural immunity and vaccination, the data said that one year after developing hybrid immunity, a person had at least a 95% lower chance of getting severe COVID-19 or needing hospitalisation, while those who were infected a year ago but not vaccinated had a 75 percent lower chance of the same.

While protection against reinfection was lower than that against severe disease, it was still substantial the WHO explained, “Those with hybrid immunity had a 42% lower chance of being reinfected one year later. Those who had been infected before, had a 25% lower chance of the same.”

The report said that those with hybrid immunity should still get boosters but could probably wait slightly longer than those without. This is of course not an endorsement to drop protocols or downplay the danger of COVID-19 infection which has already claimed more than 6 million lives.