New data shows the COVID-19 vaccination offers a more robust protection than natural immunity against the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
In a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report examining more than 7,000 people across nine states hospitalized with COVID-like illness, the CDC found those who were unvaccinated and had a recent infection were five times more likely to have COVID than those who were fully vaccinated and didn't have a prior infection.
"We now have additional evidence that reaffirms the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, even if you have had prior infection," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
The data from the VISION Network showed that among adults hospitalized with symptoms similar to COVID-19, unvaccinated people with prior infection within 3-6 months were 5.49 times more likely to have laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated within 3-6 months with Pfizer or Moderna COVID shots. The study was conducted across 187 hospitals.
Some have argued against vaccines and mandates, pointing to an Israel study that showed natural immunity gives stronger protection than inoculations.
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb last month also told CNBC that those previously infected with COVID will still need a shot because natural immunity, though robust at first, is likely "not going to last in perpetuity."
The CDC update comes as it also issued guidelines for fully vaccinated people that will stretch into gatherings during the holiday season.
The new guidance covers those with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot. The CDC says they can now "participate in many of the activities that they did before the pandemic."
They can also resume domestic travel without testing, before or after, their trip, and no longer quarantine after traveling to a location.
To avoid getting a "breakthrough case," especially from the delta variant, fully vaccinated people should wear a mask inside where there is a high rate of transmission, or if someone in their household is at an increased risk for disease or immunocompromised, the CDC guidance said.
As of Friday, close to two-thirds of all Americans are at least partially vaccinated, and 67.7 percent of all Americans currently eligible are fully vaccinated, Mediaite reported.