Covid-19 survivors are not vaccinated, UNAIR academic explains why

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Faculty of Medicine academic, Dr. Dominicus Husada, dr., DTM & H., MCTM (TP)., SpA (K). (Photo: Personal Doc.)

UNAIR NEWS – The Indonesian administration has issued technical guidelines for the implementation of Covid-19 vaccination, through the Decree of Director General of Disease Prevention and Control Number HK.02.02 / 4/1/2021. As stated in the decree, former Covid-19 sufferers will not be vaccinated.

As a response, the Head of Pediatric Infectious and Tropical Diseases Division, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) Dr. Dominicus Husada, dr., DTM & H., MCTM (TP)., SpA (K) provided an explanation. He said that Covid-19 survivors have antibodies that made them survive.

Furthermore, he said, the limited number of vaccines is also a consideration. So vaccination is prioritized for those who do not have antibodies (have never been infected with Covid-19, ed).

Therefore, he added, anyone who has contracted Covid-19 is not included in the vaccination target. “Because they are considered to have antibodies, there is no need. What is the vaccination for if the antibodies are already there,” he said by telephone on Sunday afternoon, January 17, 2021.

Then what if the vaccine is given to people who do not realize that they have been infected with Covid-19? Dominicus explained that it is safe and harmless. In fact, according to him, vaccination can improve the antibody level.

“You don’t need to worry if you have been infected with Covid-19 and have already been vaccinated. That’s fine, there’s no need to be afraid. In fact, it can be even better, because it becomes like a booster,” emphasized the FK UNAIR lecturer.

He explained that basically the body’s immune system will be active when first exposed to Covid-19. In this system, there is one component in charge of remembering. If one day the same virus comes back, the memory will wake up the immune system in a short time.

For people who have contracted Covid-19, he continued, that part of the memory is currently active. So, once Covid-19 strikes again, that part of the memory is immediately remembered and on alert.

“Vaccinated, in quotation marks, means the same as being sick again. So if he has been hit, but not known, actually part of its memory is already active. Once vaccinated, the results will be much higher, so we won’t be harmed,” he said.

Meanwhile, if the vaccination is given when the antibodies are high, often the incoming vaccine is blocked. So the results are lower. However, he considered this condition not dangerous.

Dominicus said that Covid-19 antibodies can decrease and even disappear. So far, the Covid-19 antibodies that last the longest have entered their eighth month.

“We don’t know when it will be lost. But in a similar disease, Corona but not Covid-19, it usually doesn’t take long, three to four months, “he concluded. (*)

Author: Erika Eight Novanty

Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh

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