Asked Wednesday about the interest of a vaccination for people who have contracted Covid-19, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant of Europe 1, took stock of the recommendations in force.

As he explains, former patients are recommended to receive a dose of vaccine three to six months after infection.

DECRYPTION

Contracting Covid-19 generates antibodies that temporarily protect against a new infection.

However, should this push patients not to be vaccinated?

Not according to doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant for Europe 1. Asked by a listener on Wednesday, he explained that if catching the disease effectively protected for about six months, it was recommended to receive a dose of the vaccine.

However, he explained that these instructions may be subject to change and that a reminder may be necessary.

He also encourages you to be fully vaccinated if you are not sure of your serology.

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 - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Wednesday April 28

Alexia's question

Should we be vaccinated having already had Covid-19 and when we have an antibody level that increases even six months after infection?

Jimmy Mohamed's response

It is considered that if you have ever had the coronavirus, that you have therefore had a positive PCR or a positive serology, you must wait a minimum of three months before being vaccinated.

Ideally, you should even wait six months, if possible.

Because we think that the immunity conferred by the disease will last at least six months and that in the meantime, we will be able to vaccinate people who have not had the disease and who will perhaps catch it.

And this, even if there are variations between people.

Some will produce antibodies for a very long time, others for a shorter time. 

In these cases, is a single dose sufficient?

In the current state of knowledge, it is a dose.

It is possible that in the fall or next winter, that could change.

It is considered that a dose is sufficient for the moment and that the antibodies will gradually decrease, which will require a form of booster later. 

For those who do not know if they have had the Covid or not, should we do a serology before the vaccine?

We are not going to do serology for every patient who needs to be vaccinated.

It is not viable and it does not make sense.

In my case, when a patient comes to be vaccinated and he thinks he has had it, I ask him if he had a positive serology or PCR.

If not, I consider that he never had it and I vaccinate him normally.

There is no risk in getting vaccinated despite an older infection.

Is it normal to have antibodies that keep rising after six months?

How long can this continue?

Doing serologies regularly does not make sense, especially as the variants redistribute the cards.

You can be protected against the first coronavirus, catch the Brazilian variant and get sick.

We are not all equal when it comes to illness.

One of my 70-year-old patients had had a mild form with a simple loss of smell.

Yet she had antibodies at very high levels.

Conversely, patients who had slightly more severe forms quickly lost their antibodies.

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What we know is that children have twice as many antibodies as adolescents who themselves have twice as many as adults. However, there is a great individual variability which pushes to put in place big rules. They may need to be adapted on a case-by-case basis later.