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** Why the Debate Over Vaccine Versus 'Natural' Immunity Misses the Point
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Months before COVID-19 vaccines became available, scientists published research in 2020 that showed infection provided protective immunity.

But there was limited data on how strong that immunity after infection would be, and how long it would last. Given the uncertainties, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early 2021, when vaccines became available, encouraged vaccination -- even for those who were previously infected.

At the time, the vaccines were highly effective at preventing symptomatic illness.

But with the arrival of the delta variant — and even more so with the omicron variant and its subvariants — it became clear that neither vaccination nor previous infection was very protective against infection for very long, although it turned out that protection against severe disease held up well.

The one constant through all of this: Gaining immunity through infection is far riskier than vaccination.

Despite that risk, anti-vaccination activists have insisted all along that immunity from infection is superior to immunity from vaccines – and now they point to a systematic review and meta-analysis published last month in the Lancet.

As Staff Writer Kate Yandell writes, the Lancet study combined data from multiple past papers to estimate the degree and length of protection after getting COVID-19.

Drawing on their own data from a study that is not yet published, the researchers also made comparisons to the immunity offered by vaccines. “Although protection from re-infection from all variants wanes over time, our analysis of the available data suggests that the level of protection afforded by previous infection is at least as high, if not higher than that provided by two-dose vaccination using high-quality mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech),” they wrote.

As Kate writes, the claims that immunity from infection is superior to immunity from vaccines exaggerate the stated conclusions in the Lancet paper. Stephen Lim, a professor of health metrics sciences and a co-author of the study, told her there was “insufficient data to definitively state” immunity from infection is superior.

The study also did not look at “hybrid immunity” from both infection and vaccination, which some evidence suggests is stronger than either immunity from infection or vaccination alone.

Most importantly, infection and vaccination can't really be compared.

COVID-19 has killed at least 6.8 million people, including more than 1.1 million Americans, and sickened many more. Vaccination is a safe tool people can use to reduce risk of severe disease.

“Vaccines, of course, remain the safest way to acquire immunity, whereas acquiring natural immunity must be weighed against the risks of severe illness and death associated with the initial infection,” Lim said, echoing a similar statement made in his paper.

For more, read Kate’s item, “Posts Make False Comparisons Between COVID-19 Immunity From Infections and Vaccines ([link removed]) .”
HOW WE KNOW
For an article on the history of presidential efforts to combat child sex trafficking, FactCheck.org Fellow Sean Christensen interviewed Luis C.deBaca ([link removed]) , who was ambassador-at-large for the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons from 2009 to 2014 under President Barack Obama. Sean also interviewedAli Boak ([link removed]) , director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair State University. Boak advised ([link removed]) the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice during the Trump administration. Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
The U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to establish and collect taxes in Article 1, Section 8, clause 1. After an 1895 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court undermined its taxation power, Congress proposed the 16th Amendment to the Constitution in 1909 to clarify its right to impose a federal income tax. “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration,” the amendment reads. The states ratified the amendment in 1913. Read more ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
Want to know more about Juneteenth? Annenberg Classroom has released a new film, “Juneteenth,” exploring the history of the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.

The 28-minute documentary includes interviews with University of Pennsylvania historian Mary Frances Berry and legal scholar Kermit Roosevelt of Penn Carey Law School, as well as Martha Jones, Eric Foner, Edna Greene Medford and others. These scholars help piece together the story of Juneteenth, from the Dred Scott decision to the Emancipation Proclamation to the nearly 200,000 Black men who served with distinction as United States soldiers and helped turn the tide of the Civil War.

Annenberg Classroom -- a project of our parent organization, the Annenberg Public Policy Center -- provides resources for middle and high school students and features a library of more than 60 videos.

The film is available on YouTube ([link removed]) . For more information, see APPC's press release ([link removed]) on the film.
REPLY ALL

Reader: How Many Died as a Result of Capitol Riot?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: We wrote about this very topic in our article "How Many Died as a Result of Capitol Riot? ([link removed]) "

Four people died on Jan. 6, 2021, including one person who was shot by Capitol Police.

As we wrote:
Ashli Babbitt, 35, of San Diego and an Air Force veteran, died on the day of the riot after being shot in the shoulder by a Capitol Police officer as she attempted to force her way into the House chamber where members of Congress were sheltering in place, according to a Jan. 7 statement from then-U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund.

One person, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, died on Jan. 7, 2021.

As we wrote:
The Washington Post reported on April 19 that District of Columbia Chief Medical Examiner Francisco J. Diaz found that Sicknick suffered two strokes nearly eight hours after being sprayed with a chemical irritant during the riot. Diaz told the Post that Sicknick died of natural causes, but “all that transpired played a role in his condition.”

Four other police officers committed suicide in the days and months after the riot, including Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, whose death was declared to be in the line of duty by the District of Columbia’s Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board. The board concluded “that Officer Smith sustained a personal injury on January 6, 2021, while performing his duties and that his injury was the sole and direct cause of his death.”


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Biden’s One-Sided Attack on Republican Budgeting ([link removed]) ": President Joe Biden has repeatedly tried to flip the script about the GOP claiming to be the party of fiscal responsibility, saying Republican proposals would add $3 trillion to the nation’s debt in 10 years. But Biden doesn’t mention their proposed budget cuts.
* "Post Distorts History of Presidential Efforts to Fight Child Sex Trafficking ([link removed]) ": Efforts to stop child sex trafficking in the U.S. have been underway for decades, led by presidents including Joe Biden. But an Instagram post makes the false claims that former President Donald Trump was the first to “acknowledge that children are being sold for sex in the U.S.” and that Biden “rescinded” a Trump order addressing the problem.
* "Posts Mislead on Legal Basis for Paying Federal Income Taxes ([link removed]) ": The U.S. Constitution established Congress’ right to impose federal income taxes, and the Internal Revenue Service administers the laws that require payment of taxes. Yet social media posts falsely claim there is no law that requires U.S. residents to pay taxes.
* "Liberal Group’s Meme Mentions Nonexistent GOP Vote to Raise Social Security’s Retirement Age ([link removed]) ": A Republican Study Committee task force released a budget last year proposing to raise the full retirement age to 70 for some future Social Security beneficiaries. There was no vote on the plan, but a liberal group’s viral meme incorrectly claimed “156 congressional Republicans … just voted to RAISE the retirement age to 70.”

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "Aún no se ha determinado el origen del COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": La mayoría de las agencias de inteligencia de EE. UU. consideran que lo más probable es que el origen del COVID-19 sea el derrame desde un animal, pero informes noticiosos recientes afirman que el Departamento de Energía ahora se inclina por la hipótesis de un escape de un laboratorio. Publicaciones en línea afirman erróneamente que esto confirma que se originó en un laboratorio.
* "Borrador del ‘Tratado para pandemias’ de la OMS reafirma la soberanía de las naciones para dictar políticas de salud ([link removed]) ": Los miembros de la Organización Mundial de la Salud están en proceso de desarrollar un nuevo acuerdo para prevenir, prepararse y responder a las pandemias. Un borrador preliminar presentado en febrero reafirma el derecho soberano de las naciones para hacer sus propias políticas de salud durante pandemias globales, al contrario de lo que se afirma falsamente en línea.
* "No hay pruebas de que Pfizer realizara experimentos inadecuados con el coronavirus ([link removed]) ": Los científicos dicen que los experimentos que Pfizer ha realizado con el coronavirus son habituales en la industria. Sin embargo, afirmaciones infundadas de que la empresa está mutando el virus con fines de lucro comenzaron a circular con la publicación de un popular video encubierto del grupo activista conservador Project Veritas.

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