Natural COVID infection and active Immunity?

I got a natural COVID infection in September 2020. I wrote about my experience here.

I kept testing myself for antibody levels and saw that my levels remained detectable well over 8 months. Subsequently, I got busy with my regular Medical practice.

During the New Year celebration [and my wedding anniversary as well!], as a result of probably going to the theatre and then having dinner at a restaurant on the 27th December 2021, my wife and sister-in-law developed fever and body pain after 2 days. Both are double vaccinated [COVISHIELD], but tested positive by RT PCR on 01/01/2022. My 15-year-old daughter Nancy who was not vaccinated also tested positive and developed high fever and body pain.

I was in the same room with my wife and daughter since my sister-in-law’s family also shifted to our house as soon as they got fever [They had come for a visit from Bangalore].

As soon as I came to know that I have been in close contact with two RT PCR positive COVID cases for over 3 days, I did a few tests.

Firstly I did my RT PCR test [since I am a Healthcare worker] and it came negative. I also did my Antibody test

The other blood tests were normal including CRP and CBC.

Observations:

Natural active immunity following Corona Virus infection was acquired by me in September 2020 [almost 15 months ago], before the COVID vaccines were launched.

I do not have any other comorbidities like Diabetes or Heart disease.

I make sure I eat healthily, meditate on God’s word, and do regular exercise at the club.

I play badminton 5 days a week at the club and do a bit of gym daily in the morning.

I checked my Antibody levels periodically and they were positive ever since I got natural COVID infection in Sept 2020.

Hence I did not take the vaccine, you can read about it by clicking here.

Even though I was exposed to the COVID virus in the last five days at home in Dec 2021-Jan 2022, I did not develop any signs or symptoms of COVID. My wife and other family members must have got the Omicron variant possibly, though labs in Mumbai do not yet classify variants of the Virus yet.

I am seeing many who have turned RT PCR positive in the last week, and all of them have been vaccinated, some have even taken the 3rd or booster dose from Pzifer in Dubai in December 2021.

And yet I have rarely seen patients who had COVID infection naturally, get RT PCR positive again, in this third wave.

The vaccines available now do have their role to hopefully prevent the disease from progressing to complications, and hence I would recommend that you follow the guidelines and get yourself vaccinated, especially if you have not been naturally infected by COVID yet.

We do a lot of Home monitoring for COVID RT PCR positive by our medical team.

My observations are based on our extensive experience in handling COVID patients over the last 18 months through our home monitoring program.

I hope that updated vaccines are released for COVID-19 as they are for Influenza [A vaccine I take every year and which has really helped me]

If you have been naturally infected with COVID in the third wave[ Dec 2021-Jan 2022], then there is really no point in taking the COVID booster being rolled out in Jan-Feb 22, as the vaccine that is being administered as the booster is the same one that was given last year. In the meantime, the virus has mutated many times!

Hope further research will be done on the role of natural active immunity in protecting against future COVID infections. God bless.