Natural Covid infection produces a stronger secondary immune response than the vaccine, a study has claimed.

Important components of the body’s immune response called memory B cells continue to develop and become stronger for at least several months, producing highly potent antibodies that can neutralize new variants of the virus.

In comparison, vaccine-induced memory B cells are less robust, develop only for a few weeks, and never learn to “protect” against variants.

Covid vaccines produce more antibodies than the immune system does after a coronavirus infection.

But the immune system’s response to infection seems to surpass its response to vaccines when it comes to memory B cells.

If the effect is replicated in children who are unlikely to develop covid symptoms, it creates the prospect that they can be better protected by natural immunity than vaccination.

Whether antibodies are induced by infection or vaccine, their level drops within six months in many people.

But memory B cells are ready to produce new antibodies if the body encounters the virus.

Natural Covid infection produces a stronger secondary immune response than the vaccine, a study has claimed. Pictured: British Antarctic Survey leader Matthew Phillips receives a dose of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid vaccine on Thursday

Prior to this study, there had been little data on how vaccine-induced B cells could be compared to infection-induced B cells.

The researchers warn that the benefits of stronger B-memory cells after infection do not outweigh the risks that come with Covid.

“While a natural infection can induce maturation of antibodies with a broader activity than a vaccine does, a natural infection can also kill you,” said study leader Michel Nussenzweig of Rockefeller University in a statement.

‘A vaccine will not do that and actually protects against the risk of serious illness or death due to infection.’

This comes after a separate study showed that the Delta variant does not appear to cause more serious illness in children than previous forms of the virus.

The researchers lacked information on differences between the groups that could have influenced the results, e.g. About lockdown barriers were in place and the effects of different seasons.

‘Our data suggest that the clinical characteristics of Covid due to the Delta variant in children are broadly similar to Covid due to other variants,’ the researchers concluded.

This appears to be in line with data reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

‘Although we see more cases in children … these studies showed that there was no increased disease rate in children,’ said CDC director, dr. Rochelle Walensky, on the delta-driven wave in a statement.

‘More children have Covid because there is more disease in the community.’