As COVID-19 vaccine doses remain in short supply, new preliminary studies suggest only giving one dose to people who've recovered from the disease is enough to protect them from reinfection.
Past studies have shown COVID-19 survivors are left with antibodies that help protect them from reinfection for at least a few months, depending on how severe their infection was. Multiple not-yet-peer-reviewed studies still suggest they need another boost from a vaccine. But when they get the first dose of the two-dose regimens approved in the U.S., they see far higher levels of protection than people who get the first dose but weren't previously infected, suggesting that one shot is all they need for now.
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