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Comment by YaarPodshipnik | Hacker News Reader

I had COVID-19 early in the year, and so did my Wife (not sure about my Daughter, harder to tell with kids).

I would really like to know whether I should get the vaccine or not? All the info that's out there says that immunity to C19 is temporary, so a vaccine after having gone through it doesn't seem redundant.

Does anyone know if there's been any research on effects of the vaccine on the people who got C19 and recovered? I'm especially worried about possibility of a cytokine storm possibility as a reaction to vaccine.

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Disclaimer: Not a doctor.

I find it hard to believe they haven't covered this with their phrase 3 trials, where the intent is to ensure that there is no risk at broad scale (in addition to effectiveness), and they pause the trial if anyone dies for unknown reason (etc) -- I definitely remember the trials pausing briefly while they investigated[1], and then continuing once resolved.

I also saw a study a few weeks ago where they found people with antibodies 6-8 months later[2][3]. Suggesting longer term immunity.

[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/health/covid-clinical-tri... [2}: https://www.sciencealert.com/evidence-grows-favouring-corona... [3]: https://www.businessinsider.com/long-term-coronavirus-immuni...

> All the info that's out there says that immunity to C19 is temporary

This isn't quite true. What is true is that there is no information out there to conclusively support long term retention of antibodies, in large part because we've only got 6 months of data.

As to the latter point, I wonder about the trial design. If they didn't give all participants a Covid antibody test before starting, it is very likely that several participants were previously infected. Smaller sample size though.

> If they didn't give all participants a Covid antibody test before starting, it is very likely that several participants were previously infected.

Doesn't comparing to a control group account for that?

There's always some criteria for the test group. An example might be:

Age 20-65, BMI below 2, with no long term medical conditions

You find enough people that fit that group and then randomly divide them into two groups, one of which is the test group and one the control. It is possible but unlikely that the criteria includes "has not previously had Covid 19". Assuming the criteria didn't include that, then some of the participants and some of the control group will have previously had Covid, and so we now have some evidence as to whether a cytokine storm occurs.

From what I have seen the data says immunity is at least six months, and potentially years as with the original SARS. For me it is easier, I had it only a month ago, so I am good at least till the summer.

COVID-19 reinfection is negligible. Only 26 cases worldwide are reported - sad for them but they are extreme abnormal cases. Immunity seems to work with this virus as well.

https://bnonews.com/index.php/2020/08/covid-19-reinfection-t...

From the CDC:

"People who have gotten sick with COVID-19 may still benefit from getting vaccinated. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before."

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-b....

This doesn't explain why it will benefit someone. The text is alarmingly vague.

> Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible (...)

Presumably one could get re-infected after vaccination, too, isn't that how vaccines work? I.e. they try to simulate as close as possible a real prior infection.

>Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long.

Doesn't the evidence so far suggest the exact opposite?

I think so. The antibodies drop off rapidly but that's normal with viruses. Sars 1 patients still have T cell response 17 years later.

It's more than likely that unless you are in an at risk group, or work in healthcare etc you won't be getting the vaccine until many more people have it first.

I would also wager (but this is a weaker probability) that the majority of healthy young people on HN won't be getting a vaccine at all.

I suggest you donate blood via the Red Cross [1] and get a free Covid antibody test. The presence of those antibodies should be a good indicator of whether you are still immune and that will help you decide whether or not you need the vaccine. You can do this every month or two and run your own experiment to determine the length of post-infection immunity.

[1] https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/covid-19-anti...

Thanks for the tip! I'm in the UK though, so American Red Cross doesn't help me much, and it doesn't seem like NHS does similar testing according to https://www.blood.co.uk/news-and-campaigns/news-and-statemen...

Nuffield will do you a private antibody test for about £60.

I remembered seeing an article a few days ago where Dr Fauci was saying people who have had coronavirus should still get vaccinated. I've also heard elsewhere the immune response from the vaccine is much higher than the body's natural response from getting it.

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-h...

Having had Covid-19 should confer at least as much immunity as a vaccine does. It's possible that a vaccine could act as a "booster" to extend immunity, but I don't think there's any data on that.

Your fears about "cytokine storm possibility as a reaction to vaccine" are unfounded. These vaccines have been tested on tens of thousands of trial participants.

> Having had Covid-19 should confer at least as much immunity as a vaccine does.

[If I'm understanding what you're saying correctly] Not necessarily. There are vaccines, such as those for HPV and Tetanus that provide better immunity than the natural immunity provided by having and surviving the illness [1].

I don't recall reading any research on the immunity provided between a vaccine and the illness on COVID-19, so I don't know whether this could be such a case.

[1]: https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-cent...

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