The study examined 7,000 people across nine states who were hospitalized with symptoms similar to COVID-19, the CDC said in an announcement on Friday, Oct. 29.
Researchers found that those who weren't vaccinated and had a recent COVID-19 infection were five times more likely to have contracted COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated and hadn't had a prior infection.
Health officials said the findings show that COVID-19 vaccinations "can provide a higher, more robust, and more consistent level of immunity to protect people from hospitalization for COVID-19 than infection alone for at least 6 months."
“We now have additional evidence that reaffirms the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, even if you have had prior infection," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. "This study adds more to the body of knowledge demonstrating the protection of vaccines against severe disease from COVID-19."
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