Scott Gottlieb Reality-Checks Unvaccinated Who Already Got Covid: Those With Natural Immunity ‘Need to Get Vaccinated’

Former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member Scott Gottlieb warned people who remain unvaccinated because they had Covid-19 that natural immunity won’t protect them from the coronavirus forever, and they will need to be vaccinated.

Gottlieb spoke with CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Thursday, who asked the former FDA chief under Trump what he thinks about doctors abroad astonished by the U.S. vaccination rates. As he complimented the Biden administration for their vaccination efforts, Gottlieb conceded “we have a lot of difficulty in this country getting people vaccinated,” and America needs to bolster its vaccination rate among adults from 77 percent to the 80-85 percent range.

“We have a lot of immunity in the population from prior infection. That does count. People previously infected do have some immunity from continued infection. But we don’t know how long that immunity’s gonna last,” Gottlieb said. “So eventually, people who have been affected and relying on natural immunity, they, too, will need to get vaccinated at some point.”

Gottlieb’s statement is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s findings that vaccines provide a greater level of protection against Covid than natural immunity from a previous infection.

The interview continued with Gottlieb offering his assessment that the coronavirus delta variant “may be the last wave of infection” before the disease becomes a seasonal endemic risk. He also predicted “you will see masks becoming more culturally acceptable in parts of the country,” though he elaborated on his remarks to Fox News about how masks will become “optional.”

Watch above, via CNN.