Already Had COVID-19? Vaccines Boost Immunity, Not ‘Wipe Out’ Antibodies
SciCheck Digest
Studies show the COVID-19 vaccines boost the antibody levels and improve the immune response of those who previously had COVID-19. The vaccines do not “wipe out” the antibodies developed by a person who had recovered from the disease, as social media posts have falsely claimed for months.
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Several studies show that COVID-19 vaccines provide additional protection for those who have been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccines are safe and effective at protecting people from getting sick, including those who’ve already recovered from the disease, and do not “wipe out” natural immunity, as social media posts have falsely claimed.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told FactCheck.org that vaccination does not eliminate, reduce or replace the antibodies developed after a previous infection in any way.
“Vaccination augments natural immunity, making it more robust and more durable,” he said in an email.
Yet hundreds of users of TikTok have rehashed an audio clip, first published as a video earlier this year, that deceitfully claims that COVID-19 vaccines eliminate the coronavirus antibodies developed after a previous infection. The TikTok videos, some of them with over 50,000 and 90,000 likes, show different people listening and reacting to the audio, which starts with a news anchor announcing a warning regarding the COVID-19 vaccines.
The , inaccurately says: “The Red Cross says anyone who has received their COVID-19 vaccine cannot donate convalescent plasma to help other COVID-19 patients in hospitals. That plasma is made up of antibodies from people who have recovered from the virus, but the vaccine wipes out those
