Note that views expressed in this opinion article are the writer’s personal views and not necessarily those of TrialSite.

The newest wrinkle on pandemic corruption is how most of the medical and public health establishment refuses to accept natural immunity, obtained through COVID infection, as equivalent to or even better than the artificial immunity obtained from vaccines.

The reason is simple. The more that natural immunity is accepted, the more reason there is to reject getting one of the experimental COVID vaccines. Half the US population from kids to adults likely have natural immunity, even though most never suffered any serious ill effects from being infected.

And there clearly is an ongoing bulldozer over facts run by President Biden all the way through the entire federal and state public health system to coerce Americans to get vaccinated.

Their efforts could fail if most of those with natural immunity acted rationally and decided not to take any of the increasing risks from the experimental vaccines.

No big money can be made from all those with natural immunity. For that bonanza for drug companies to fully materialize natural immunity has to be ignored, dismissed or otherwise discounted and discredited. More bad science.

Think of the refusal to respect natural immunity akin to what the government has done to stop widespread use of cheap generics for early home/outpatient COVID treatment that cures and prevents infection. This early action was key for the success of the wait-for-the-vaccine pandemic strategy.

To understand the full measure of this latest corruption here are recent developments and revelations.

On May 19 the FDA issued guidance that clearly said “If you have not been vaccinated: Be aware that a positive result from an antibody test does not mean you have a specific amount of immunity or protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.” Antibodies in blood are a basic way to determine immunity. So, the FDA clearly does not want people who have natural immunity to use antibody test results as a replacement for vaccine certification. If this was allowed, then millions of Americans who rightfully fear many negative health impacts from vaccines would have a way to prove with antibody test results that they do not need vaccination because they already have natural immunity. This could greatly reduce the financial bonanza sought by big drug companies and facilitated by the federal agencies.

The position of FDA is also that antibodies provided by the vaccines are superior to the antibodies developed from being infected by the virus. In other words, vaccines create antibodies and protection that the regular antibodies created by natural immunity do not provide. This is false and bad science.

That government position is contradicted by empirical study data according to the eminent Yale University epidemiologist Dr. Harvey Risch. He explained that serum antibodies and T-cell antibodies – the white blood cells that attack infections – demonstrate past history of infection. And that even though antibodies may be different between people with natural immunity versus those in vaccinated people this difference is irrelevant. “These natural antibodies are proof of past infection,” said Risch. “Past infection is extremely strong evidence of immunity.” But FDA does not want to jeopardize the vaccine market by acknowledging an antibody blood test could and should substitute for vaccine certification.

A key outspoken proponent for natural immunity is Johns Hopkins physician Marty Makary. In a powerful article, “The Power of Natural Immunity” he informs the public with sound science. Here are some of his key points. “There’s ample scientific evidence that natural immunity is effective and durable, and public-health leaders should pay it heed.” A huge number of Americans have natural immunity because though “Only around 10% of Americans have had confirmed positive Covid tests, but four to six times as many have likely had the infection.” Rather than credit vaccination for positive results, Makary makes this key point: “the effect of natural immunity is all around us. The plummeting case numbers in late April and May weren’t the result of vaccination alone, and they came amid a loosening of both restrictions and behavior.”

Here is another key scientific point from Makary. Natural immunity is durable. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis reported last month that 11 months after a mild infection immune cells were still capable of producing protective antibodies. The authors concluded that prior Covid infection induces a ‘robust’ and ‘long-lived humoral immune response,’ leading some scientists to suggest that natural immunity is probably lifelong. Because infection began months earlier than vaccination, we have more follow-up data on the duration of natural immunity than on vaccinated immunity.” This is one expert the public should listen to, unlike the science babble coming from Fauci.

Here is yet another point Makary made to counter the views of other “experts.” “Some health officials warn of possible variants resistant to natural immunity. But none of the hundreds of variants observed so far have evaded either natural or vaccinated immunity with the three vaccines authorized in the U.S “

On the key point of whether people with natural immunity should get vaccinated, Makary noted, “My clinical advice to healthy patients with natural immunity is that one shot is sufficient, and maybe not even necessary, although it could increase the long-term durability of immunity.” However, he cites this new evidence: “Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic published a study this week of 1,359 people previously infected with Covid who were unvaccinated. None of the subjects subsequently became infected, leading the researchers to conclude that ‘individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination.’” This message will not be found in what big media is telling the public.

Dr. Makary’s bottom line is this sage advice: “It’s time to stop the fear mongering and level with the public about the incredible capabilities of both modern medical research and the human body’s immune system.” This, too, is what he has said: “natural immunity and vaccinated immunity are equally effective and “probably life-long.” Also, “between the roughly 50% of Americans he thinks are naturally immune and the 41% fully vaccinated so far, the United States has already reached herd immunity – the point at which enough of the population is impervious to COVID-19 that the virus will run out of places to spread and die out.” Natural immunity is a key reason herd immunity has likely been reached, making all onerous contagion controls as critiqued in Pandemic Blunder no longer justified. And why the endless coercion for COVID vaccination is very far from following the science.

Interestingly, the World Health Organization removed from its website the scientific fact that natural immunity contributes to herd immunity which does not depend solely on artificial immunity from vaccination.

Other new research findings are relevant to the natural immunity discussion.

A recent study from the Cleveland Clinic found that individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection and have natural immunity are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection remained almost zero among three groups — those previously infected who remained unvaccinated (of 2,579, 1,359, or 53%, remained unvaccinated,); those previously infected who were vaccinated; and those previously uninfected who were vaccinated — compared with a steady increase in cumulative incidence among previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated.

One study, published in The Lancet’s journal EClinicalMedicine, examined data from antibodies in 39,086 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 2020 and January 2021. It found an “encouraging timeline for the development and sustainability of antibodies up to ten months from natural infection.” This latest study adds to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating that natural immunity is long-lasting even without vaccination.

Another study, in Nature, found that COVID-19 infection “induces a robust antigen-specific, long-lived humoral immune response in humans,” with antibodies “remaining detectable at least 11 months after infection.” Another, published at BioRxiv, found that even without vaccination, antibodies in the infected “remain relatively stable from 6 to 12 months,” while “B cell clones expressing broad and potent antibodies are selectively retained in the repertoire over time and expand dramatically after vaccination.” Another study from Israel found that natural immunity was slightly more effective against reinfection than the Pfizer vaccine, at 94.8% versus 92.8%.

Dr. Suneel Dhand a frontline physician has openly said that after he got COVID he has measured his antibodies for over a year and they remain high.

“There is more data on natural immunity than there is on vaccinated immunity, because natural immunity has been around longer,” said Dr. Makary..” If only the government would share this view and big media would stop being a shill for the drug industry. Those pushing for vaccine passports fear anything that substantiates the benefits of natural immunity. And it is very difficult for people to get blood tests for antibodies, and the expense is not justified as long as the government denies the benefits of natural immunity.

For those who genuinely want to follow the science, the millions of people under the age of 70 who have gained natural immunity and have no serious chance of major bad health impacts from COVID should bet on natural immunity versus taking a chance with vaccines.

June 13, 2021

~ The Author ~
Joel S. Hirschhorn was a full professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a senior official at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and the National Governors Association. He has authored numerous nonfiction books, including Delusional Democracy – Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government… in addition to his latest endeavor, Pandemic Blunder.