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Antibodies wane, but B-cell and T-cell response is important for longer term protection. Fortunately, we have results (including [B] and [T]) that vaccines also induce these memory cell responses.

Also, the durability of immunity from coronavirus probably depends on the exact coronavirus. It does seem to be true for SARS, but possibly less so for the seasonal coronaviruses that cause a respectable fraction of common colds[3]. We don't really know yet where SARS-CoV-2 falls on that spectrum.

[B]: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.12.21259864v...

[T]: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.30.21259787v...

[3]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1083-1

1 comments

While they may stimulate some B and T, they aren’t close to the levels from infection.

From what I’ve seen many coronavirus have durable immunity from infection, you’d need to cite that they vary. Also, from what I’ve seen the T and B cell response is not nearly the same effect, nor as durable.

Further, like the Israeli report, there are a handful more reports of previously infected not getting reinfected at nearly the same rates. The Israeli report has hard numbers in the article you ignored.

I think you added the links in an edit?

The Science cite shows something that's very different than what people might take from your comment. Briefly, prior infection plus one mRNA dose induces a very good immune response, much better than a single dose without prior infection. It does not compare two mRNA doses against prior infection.

I believe the cite I provided does support the idea that coronaviruses vary, in particular that HCoV-229E exhibits continuous genetic drift. But here's an excellent paper that goes into a lot more detail on that: https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/j...