So, you've had covid-19 a few months ago and now a vaccine is available. If you had Covid-19 a few months back, do you need the vaccine as well? There has been a lot of discussion about this since the antibodies may only be present for 3-6 months. Once you have natural immunity, it should last for years, well past the time when the antibodies go away. This is because the body's T cells will continue to recognize and protect us for years afterward. T cells are memory cells that will recognize intruders months and years after the antibodies have gone away. The vaccine will help us reach herd immunity quicker and more safely than actually having Covid-19. If I had a choice, I would rather have the vaccine since the benefits of vaccine immunity outweigh the risks of having Covid-19. In other words, it is much safer to be vaccinated. You can sign up for the vaccine waiting list in NJ here; https://covidvaccine.nj.gov/. Since I had Covid-19, does my immunity last long enough for me to be part of herd immunity? Herd immunity through effective vaccines is how we can solve the covid-19 pandemic more quickly and reduce the damage it has caused to society and our livelihoods as well as our mental health. To reach herd immunity, the more people who are inoculated either naturally or by the vaccine, the faster we get rid of covid-19. It is simple math; 1 + 1 =2. The more people who have exposure and antibodies, the faster we shut down the virus. Perhaps, the concern regarding those who have already had covid-19 and their need to also take the vaccine for additional immunity may have been answered by a recent study. The study shows immunity is likely to last for years. Whether you had the vaccine or had Covid-19 naturally, you should maintain immunity for a long time. Check this out Good News: Natural Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, Study Suggests By Ed Cara New research released Wednesday should provide comfort to covid-19 survivors worried about losing their natural immunity to the coronavirus anytime soon. The findings suggest that in most people, a robust immune response to the virus lasts for at least eight months—and there are good signs that it could even last years. There have been concerns about waning immunity since nearly the start of the pandemic. Related coronaviruses that cause the common cold are known to often reinfect people, and scattered reports of reinfections from covid-19 emerged in 2020. Some studies had also suggested that antibody levels to the virus can drop off significantly within three months. Read more