– So you have super protection – VG

If you are unlucky and get infected before or after two doses of the vaccine, you may be better off against new viral variants than if you had three doses.

Experts call it hybrid immunity, or super immunity:

– With super immunity you get in a bag and a bag. Both broad protection from a history of infection and acute protection from a vaccine. Pointers are important for obtaining high levels of antibodies. The broad variety offers better protection against different virus variants because it doesn’t depend so much on changes in the spike protein, says chief medical officer Sarah Fixmoen-Whatley at the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) to VG.

She is an expert on vaccine effects at the National Institute of Public Health.

Wattle stresses that infection is certainly not encouraged. This is because there is still a small risk that healthy people can become seriously ill when many people are infected at the same time.

Three doses is the best insurance against getting seriously ill with the case of infection we have right now, she says.

However, if the accident occurs and you become infected, you are likely to be better protected in case of infection before or after a full vaccination than those who received three doses of the vaccine.

When you get vaccinated, your body only sees the marks on the coronavirus (nail protein), while when you get infected, your body sees the entire virus and makes defenses against larger parts of the virus.

RNA Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines are based on the nail protein.

All combinations are good

It has been shown in a number of studies that the best protection is obtained when immunity is boosted through infection with a vaccine. There is less data to the contrary, which is getting the infection on top.

But the FHI sees all combinations as good: both infection + two doses, infection + one dose + infection and two doses + infection.

– So you have super protection. All combinations will be able to give an advantage against new virus variants. But it requires you to tolerate that infection and not get seriously ill.

You may receive slightly less comprehensive protection when you receive the vaccine before infection, but you will continue to receive broader protection against future variants compared to 3 doses.

A vaccine is a safer option

But how well protected you get after an infection also depends on how much virus you catch and therefore how sick you are:

You will have a stronger immune response if you are exposed to a lot of viruses, and therefore you get sick and have obvious symptoms such as colds and fever.

The president adds that it is very individual how both young and old will react to the infection, and there will always be some healthy people who do not have underlying disease and can become seriously ill, although that is rare. When it comes to vaccination, everyone can be assured of an immune response that contributes to a less serious illness, whereas this is not guaranteed if you contract covid-19.

A new Norwegian study that looked at 400 infected people showed that nearly everyone had good amounts of antibodies a year later, according to NRK Who mentioned the study for the first time. Also those with mild symptoms.

Although the vaccine is not intended for omicron, several studies show that a booster dose provides broader and better protection against omicron than two doses. This is because the immune system takes a third dose Builds on where it “left off” In the second dose. Then more and more diverse antibodies are produced.

Recovery dose will increase protection against both delta and omicron variants. Again, we see that those who have been previously infected and vaccinated have a very good immune response, and are likely to be more protective against Omikron and other future virus variants.

In the government’s latest booster FHI recommendation, they wrote that three doses of the same vaccine could theoretically make one worse off against the new variants, a so-called “immune fingerprint”:

In pure theory, it may be difficult to reverse an immune response to variants of future viruses that is very different from the one we have today. He has tested positive for influenza, but there is no evidence yet that this is a problem with the coronavirus. And when we are now in a situation where we need to increase protection, refreshing doses are important.

Desirable with long-term natural immunity

– What would you choose, a normal booster potion or a booster potion?

– I’ll take a booster potion. There is a lot of infection in the community and a heavy burden on the health services, and I can be unlucky and be one of the few who gets seriously ill and can risk infecting someone in my family who can’t stand it. If I do get infected, it will probably go well and then I will be confident that I am well protected in the future.

– If your hospital capacity is better, and you are generally better off, wouldn’t it be better with infection for those under 45 than our booster therapy?

During a pandemic, there are other assumptions that form the basis of assessments. In the long term, recovery from infection among fully vaccinated healthy adults could be a good way to improve the immunity of a population. But right now, when there is a lot of infection, we worry that too much infection will lead to an increased burden on health services.

This virus will continue to spread among the population. There are likely to be some groups that need to be vaccinated regularly. A little like the flu. For those who are not in high-risk groups, long-term mild infections may not be a problem and may be able to provide good protection against future virus variants.