[new_stranger]

Vaccines work by prompting a targeted (partial) immune response. They give your body advanced designs for part of the virus so it can be proactive - the con is a vaccine can not provide all of the information.

Contracting a virus provides your body with the full genetic footprint of the virus. Assuming you survive, you should have better antibodies than what a vaccine can provide.

[jlebar]

A compelling theory! If only it were so simple.

In practice it doesn't actually work out that way. 1/3 of people who get covid have no antibodies at all, whereas everyone (who is not immunocompromised) who gets the vaccine develops antibodies.

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/574284-natural-covid-...

The immune system is very complicated.

[nradov]

There is more to the immune system than antibodies. In order to fully assess immunity you have to look at innate responses and memory cell activity.

[jlebar]

Sure, absolutely. The point the author is making is that since you're more likely to get an antibody response with the vaccine, you're getting a benefit from the vaccine that there's a decent chance you won't get from catching the virus.