Already Had COVID-19? You may only need one dose of the vaccine

Quick Digest: 

• People who have already been infected with Covid-19 should still be vaccinated; however, one study suggests that one dose may suffice in conferring immunity.
• Covid-19 survivors have reported fatigue, headache, chills, fever, muscle pain, and joint pain after the first dose more frequently than people who have never been infected with Covid-19. Furthermore, Covid survivors also demonstrated higher concentrations of antibodies than people who have never been infected after the first and second doses of the vaccine.
• Because of these higher antibody levels, some scientists say that Covid survivors may only need one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. This differs from people who have never had Covid, who will need to acquire two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.

Here’s what you need to know about getting the vaccine after having COVID-19

The Covid-19 vaccines created by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are over 94% effective at preventing coronavirus infections. 

This was proven in large-scale clinical trials, and although these vaccines were developed in record time, they are completely safe. 

Both vaccines require two doses, spaced three to four weeks apart; however, some studies suggest that people who have already been infected with Covid-19 may only need one dose of either of these vaccines. 

This is because Covid-19 survivors have demonstrated higher antibody levels after receiving the first and second doses of the vaccine. Therefore, these increased levels of antibodies may be able to suffice to confer enough immunity to a Covid-19 survivor.