Vaccine opponents equate flu, COVID-19 to disparage vaccines

A video clip has resurfaced that features Dr. Anthony Fauci in a 2004 interview saying that a recent influenza infection provides sufficient protection to skip the flu shot. Vaccine opponents are using the clip to claim that reliance on “natural immunity” should apply to COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 and the flu are not the same disease and should not be treated as such. Health authorities recommend COVID-19 vaccination for people who have recovered from COVID-19 because the vaccine provides more reliable protection. Among people who have had COVID-19, those who are vaccinated are significantly less likely to be reinfected than those who remain unvaccinated.

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The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) was formed in 2020 to coordinate and amplify public health messaging on COVID-19 and increase Americans’ confidence in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health officials.

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