Unvaccinated People Twice as Likely to be Reinfected: CDC Study

The new study found that adults who were not vaccinated were 2.34 times more likely to get reinfected with COVID-19.

The study was conducted within a two month period among adults in Kentucky, USA.

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According to a study published by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, 6 August, those who have recovered from COVID-19 but have not been vaccinated might have more than double the chance of reinfection than those who have vaccinated.

The study looked 246 adults from Kentucky, USA who had previously been infected with COVID-19 in 2020 and compared the status of vaccination among those who were re-infected between May and June 2021. 492 'control' participants were also a part of the study, who were matched to the subjects by age, sex and time of initial positive test.

Researchers found that those who had not been inoculated were 2.34 times more likely to get re-infected as compared to those who were fully vaccinated.

The findings of the study reiterates the CDC's previous advise where they urged all eligible people to get vaccinated. Noting the study's implications on public health, the paper stated, "To reduce their likelihood for future infection, all eligible persons should be offered COVID-19 vaccine, even those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection."

The study acknowledges its limitations, such as the possibility that fully vaccinated persons were less likely to get tested for infection. It also states that the study was conducted in a single state during a two month window, which was before the Delta variant started spreading in the United States. "These findings cannot be used to infer causation," it stated.

Some Republican members of the US Congress, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, have dismissed the CDC's advised and said that their previous infection with COVID-19 would grant them natural immunity and cited it as a reason for not getting vaccinated.