A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 compared to those who are fully vaccinated.
“If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in the news release. “This study shows you are twice as likely to get infected again if you are unvaccinated. Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious Delta variant spreads around the country.”
The CDC study examined hundreds of Kentucky residents who previously contracted COVID-19. Some chose to get vaccinated after infection, but others did not.
It found that those who were unvaccinated had 2.34 times the odds of getting reinfected than fully vaccinated individuals.
The findings suggest if a person previously contracted COVID-19 and recovered, getting fully vaccinated provides an additional level of protection against reinfection.
The findings also support the CDC's recommendation that all eligible persons be offered the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of if they had already contracted the virus.
The study appeared in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Jordan Mickle at WLEX first reported this story.