As the U.S. experiences a dip in COVID-19 cases and mask mandates are being lifted, some have voiced concerns about waning immunity from prior infection or vaccination.
How worried should Americans be?
That depends, experts say. There are still individual risk assessments at play, and many questions yet to be answered.
“In the context of the general population [individuals who are relatively healthy], I think waning immunity is not something we all need to be concerned about,” Jesse Erasmus, PhD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, told MedPage Today.
Even if neutralizing antibody titers wane, there is still protection against severe disease and hospitalization, Erasmus said.
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However, for people who have never been infected or never been vaccinated, or for people who are immunocompromised, there is still concern about the potential for severe disease, he noted. And though the average person can anticipate not being hospitalized, they also need to realize that, with waning immunity, they could very likely get infected and have light symptoms or mild disease, he added.
