COVID Vaccine and Polio Survivors
Question: I feel as though I have been pressured heavily into both wearing a mask and getting vaccinated for COVID I think I already am immune, having contracted COVID earlier this year would give me a natural immunity. What you’re your thoughts on polio survivors being forced to get the vaccine.
Dr. Bruno’s Response: You are not being forced to get the COVID vaccine or wear a mask. But you are doing yourself a tremendous disservice to yourself and others if you don’t do both.
Antibodies levels are lower after you have had the COVID virus than they would be if you also were vaccinated. This is no different than the situation with the polio vaccine. Polio survivors received boosted immunity, plus immunity against the types of polio they did not have, when they were given the vaccine. Now, especially with so many of the unvaccinated allowing the development of COVID variants, everyone needs as many antibodies as possible.
As for wearing a mask, since COVID is a respiratory virus that grows in your throat, you are protecting yourself against reinfection and, even if you are re-infected without symptoms, the mask prevents you from passing the virus growing in your throat to someone else.