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Research suggests that a first infection with SARS-CoV-2 provides only 47% protection against a second infection for those aged 65 years and over, compared with 80% protection across all age groups.

These findings underscore the importance of physical distancing and vaccinations, even among those who have already had COVID-19.

The study found that the level of protection against reinfection remained stable for more than 6 months.

However, it did not take into account new variants of the virus, infection with which may provide less immunity against reinfection.

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Originally posted by wtg:

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Research suggests that a first infection with SARS-CoV-2 provides only 47% protection against a second infection for those aged 65 years and over, compared with 80% protection across all age groups.

These findings underscore the importance of physical distancing and vaccinations, even among those who have already had COVID-19.

The study found that the level of protection against reinfection remained stable for more than 6 months.

However, it did not take into account new variants of the virus, infection with which may provide less immunity against reinfection.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.c...nfection-in-over-65s

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The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer/BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine confirms its protection lasts at least six months after the second dose, the companies said Thursday.

The question of how long vaccine protection lasts can only be answered once enough time has passed, and while six months of protection is a modest target, it's longer than previously known. The study is continuing and future updates may reveal more about how long and how strong this protection is.

The vaccine remains more than 91% effective against disease with any symptoms for six months, the companies said. And it appeared to be fully effective against the worrying B.1.351 variant of the virus, which is the dominant strain circulating in South Africa and which researchers feared had evolved to evade the protection of vaccines, the companies said.

"The vaccine was 100% effective against severe disease as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 95.3% effective against severe COVID-19 as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," Pfizer and BioNTech said in a joint statement.

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Originally posted by rontuner:
I'm encouraged by this:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/2...rcent-effective.html

"One dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines was 80% effective in preventing Covid in CDC study of health workers"

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In most contexts, it’s perfectly acceptable to use “approval” and “authorization” interchangeably. But not at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and definitely not when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. If the topic comes up at your Zoom holiday party, here’s a cheat sheet for the specific uses of these similar terms.

Approval — No COVID-19 vaccines have been approved. Approval means the FDA has officially decided that a product is safe and effective for its designated use. The process for approval involves rigorous reviews of all available data on the product and can take several months.

Authorization — To speed things up in an emergency like a pandemic, the FDA can grant an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). An EUA, as its name implies, authorizes a product for use during unusually urgent circumstances if the benefits of its use outweigh any known or potential risks. A vaccine that combats a global pandemic is an ideal candidate for an EUA – we can’t afford to lose any more time in the midst of a crisis with an ever-climbing death toll.

The FDA granted an EUA for the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, and it’s likely to do the same for the Moderna vaccine this week. As long as no serious harms from the vaccines are discovered, they’ll maintain authorization until the pandemic is over. At that point, the pharmaceutical companies will decide if they want to seek FDA approval. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, was granted an EUA for COVID-19 treatment in May before gaining approval in October.