Only limited protection offered through natural immunity from COVID-19, Hinshaw says

Despite the wide community spread of COVID-19 during the fifth wave of the pandemic, Alberta's top doctor said vaccination remains the best form of protection against the disease.

During Thursday's pandemic update, Dr. Deena Hinshaw responded to Albertans who believe they do not need to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if they had tested positive and recovered from the disease.

"There is evidence that recovery from COVID-19 with earlier strains provides some protection against future reinfection," the chief medical officer of health said.

"But we don't know how strong that protection is or how long it lasts. The level of protection from infection acquired immune responses will vary in each individual," she added.

That level of protection depends on a multitude of factors Hinshaw said, including how severe or mild the infection was, a person's age, the time elapsed from initial infection, and if someone has any other medical conditions.

"Those who have previously been infected and who also have received vaccine have a significantly stronger level of protection than recovery from infection alone," Hinshaw said.

"Getting fully vaccinated with all the doses we are eligible for is still the best way to make sure that we and those around us are protected against severe illness and outcomes such as hospitalization."

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) also issued similar guidance on Friday, emphasizing the need to be vaccinated even if a person had a previous coronavirus infection.

Unvaccinated Albertans are outnumbered nearly four-to-one by those who have had at least a first shot of vaccine, but remain many times more likely to experience a severe outcome due to COVID-19 including hospitalization or death.

Nearly 70 per cent of COVID-19 deaths since Jan. 1, 2021 were in individuals who were unvaccinated or diagnosed within two weeks from their first immunization date, Alberta Health says.

In that same time frame, only 1.7 per cent of Albertans with three doses of COVID-19 vaccine tested positive for the disease 14 days after their last immunization. Of those who were double dosed, only four per cent were diagnosed with COVID-19 after 14 days of their vaccination.

NACI recommends individuals infected before starting or completing their first two doses should get their next vaccine eight weeks after showing symptoms, or after testing positive if they were asymptomatic.

Those infected after receiving both doses can get a booster shot three months after symptoms begin or after testing positive, the committee recommended, so long as it is at least six months after having received a second dose.

"Vaccines remain critically important," Hinshaw said. "Getting fully immunized against COVID-19 doesn't just protect an individual. It also helps protect those around them. It helps us all by easing the strain on hospitals and our frontline health care workers."

With files from CTV News.ca's Solarina Ho