Letter to Hon. Rochelle Walensky, M.D., Director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Carter Calls On CDC To Follow Science On Covid-19 Natural Immunity
Letter
Director Walensky:
While we have always encouraged and supported COVID-19 vaccinations, never before has it been more
important for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recognize natural immunity.
The U.S. Department of Defense vaccine mandate has the potential to lead to a national security crisis by
separating up to 20 percent of our military personnel, many of whom likely have natural immunity.
Additionally, as the vaccine mandate plays out, it will only further exacerbate the health care crisis
shortage of nurses, nurse aids, and others providers in certified Medicare and Medicaid facilities.
Across America, manufacturing will come to a screaming halt, and all businesses -- big and small -- will
be impacted. Many hospitals, nursing homes, private companies, and large corporations have expressed
that natural immunity must be considered.
We appreciate your efforts at the CDC in providing vaccine recommendations to fight the COVID-19
pandemic. As members of the Doctors Caucus, we applaud vaccines' role in preventing infectious
diseases such as polio and measles, and now COVID-19. However, we must also acknowledge the need
to develop patient-centered solutions that evidence medical necessity. To this end, we strongly urge the
CDC to acknowledge infection-acquired immunity in addition to vaccine-acquired immunity. Natural
immunity, to date, has been dismissed without adequate scientific acknowledgment and the CDC
continues to ignore scientific evidence when making policies to achieve herd immunity.
The CDC defines vaccination as the act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce protection from
a specific disease. Further, immunity is defined by having a sufficient level of protection from an
infectious disease where you can be exposed to it without becoming infected. Health experts have thus far
relied heavily on measuring antibodies to determine an individual's level of protection. And studies show
that infection-acquired immunity yields a sufficient immune response. Peer-reviewed journal articles
studied individuals who recovered from COVID-19 and found they had potent antibodies. When
compared to vaccination, it was found that levels of antibodies taken before vaccination in people who
were previously infected by the virus were similar to those seen in uninfected people after their first
shot. Another study found that prior infection generated an immune response that offered protection
from reinfection in the six months following infection.
Published and submitted journal articles verify immunity from natural infection and innate immunity in
measuring an individual's level of protection to COVID-19. One study examining this found that patients
who recovered from COVID-19 could produce long-term immune response.
In addition, a study examining rhesus macaques found that they successfully fought off reinfection and confirmed innate immunity is needed for long-term protection from the virus. A study in people evaluating natural
immune response in nearly 200 cases showed that durable immunity against reinfection was possible for
most individuals.
Examining patient populations across the world, some studies have found that natural immunity provided
a lower risk of reinfection. For example, a study evaluating nearly 13,500 patients in Italy suggested that
reinfections were rare events and patients who recovered from COVID-19 have a lower risk of
reinfection. In Denmark, researchers evaluated over half a million individuals and found that protection
against repeat infection was over 80 percent. Of greater note, newly released data from Israel shows that
people who once had COVID-19 were much less likely than never-infected, vaccinated people to get Delta, develop symptoms from it, or become hospitalized with serious COVID-19. According to the
scholars, individuals who were both previously infected with COVID-19 and given a single dose of the
vaccine gained additional protection against the Delta variant. It can be inferred that an individual's
durable immune response led to this protection.
Given the above, we urge the CDC to harness available data and technology to establish better patientcentered solutions that will truly determine an individual's level of protection against COVID-19. It may
be the case that it is not medically necessary for an individual to receive a vaccination. It may also be the
case that a sufficient level of protection may be produced from one dose.
Herd immunity needs to be measured through vaccination rates and natural immunity. The COVID-19
Scenario Modeling Hub, a consortium of researchers representing academic and federal researchers that
advises your agency, recently shared new models predicting a steady decline in COVID-19 cases through
March. In fact, the lead researcher discussed that vaccination rates and natural immunity were factored
in these models, as he stated that he believes there is enough immunity in this country from a combination
of enough people getting vaccinated and enough people having been exposed to the virus.
We urge the CDC to acknowledge natural immunity and work with other federal agencies to ensure all
future guidance, policies, and federally-funded research take this evidence into account and build off it.
Thank you for considering this urgent request. We would appreciate a reply no later than October 18,
2021.
Sincerely,
Roger Marshall, M.D.
U.S. Senator
Bill Cassidy, M.D.
U.S. Senator
Rand Paul, M.D.
U.S. Senator
Andy Harris, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Mariannette J. Miller-Meeks, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Larry Bucshon, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Scott DesJarlias, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Gregorgy F. Murphy, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Neal P. Dunn, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Diana Harshbarger, Pharm. D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter, R. Ph.
U.S. Member of Congress
Jefferson Van Drew, D.M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Ronny L. Jackson, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Mark E. Green, M.D.
U.S. Member of Congress
Brian Babin, D.D.S.
U.S. Member of Congress
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