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Should you get a vaccine if you've already had COVID-19?

The short answer is yes. But, it depends on when you were infected.

TOLEDO, Ohio — As first responders in northwest Ohio begin to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, recommendations surrounding it have become clearer.

But, should someone who has already contracted COVID-19 still get the vaccine? The short answer is yes. But, it depends on when you became infected.

“We don't really know the duration of that immunity after you've had natural infection, and so it may not last indefinitely,” Dr. James Tita of Mercy Health Toledo said.

The three-month time frame after someone comes down with COVID-19 makes a difference when it comes to which first responders get the vaccine first.

At Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, the first local hospital vaccinating its staff, recently infected staff members are lower priority for vaccination; meaning, if a nurse has had COVID-19 in the past three months, they won't get the vaccination right away because they are believed to be immune for a 90-day time frame.

“We feel fairly confident that it lasts at least three months,” Tita said.

Currently, the vaccine is not available to the general public and likely won't be for awhile. Although there is still no exact timeline, in Ohio, it's estimated that the vaccine will become more widely available sometime in spring of 2021.

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