Healthcare workers who had symptoms after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination had longer and stronger immunity than those who did not, researchers at Farmington, Conn.-based UConn Health, found, according to a March 6 news release.
The study, published Feb. 4 in Vaccines, looked at data from 296 UConn Health workers, including 46 who already had COVID-19. Participants were vaccinated with either the Pfizer or the Moderna mRNA vaccine. Researchers studied their blood for neutralizing antibodies at two months, five months and nine months post-vaccination.
Participants who had symptoms following the vaccination such as fever, aches or a sore arm had a stronger and longer lasting neutralizing antibody response. The response outperformed both those who had COVID-19 before the vaccine and those who had not, according to the study.