PHOENIX — A first-term lawmaker wants to give those who don’t want to get vaccinated the alternative of getting tested to see if they already have natural immunity.
The proposal by Rep. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, would provide an automatic exemption from any vaccine requirement of any government or private company to anyone who can provide “documented test results” showing that the person has antibodies to COVID-19 or any other variant of the virus.
HB 2020 also would apply only if the person has tested positive for having the virus. And an exemption also would be available if there is a positive T-cell immune response to COVID.
Kaiser told Capitol Media Services he has seen research from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control that suggests a vaccine might not always be the best way to go.
That research, he acknowledged, does show a better response from inoculation against the initial strain of the virus than from “natural immunity.” But Kaiser said there is evidence that the Delta variant is more likely to be prevented in those who already have naturally produced antibodies.
Research is so far lacking on the Omicron variant which appears to be more easily spread but may not be as virulent.
Kaiser agreed that there may not be a lot of information about whether someone who develops natural antibodies from one form of the virus will have protection against other forms, both existing and yet to come. At the same time, however, Dr. Anthony Fauci who is the chief medical advisor to the president, is saying there are indications that the currently available vaccines are effective against all variants.
But Kaiser said that, if nothing else, lawmakers need to take a closer look at the issue.
“It’s nothing against the vaccine at all,” he said.
“It really is an effort to have a conversation about natural immunity,” Kaiser said. “It doesn’t get much conversation around how viable it is.''
State health officials declined to weigh in on the issue, with a spokesman saying the agency does not comment on pending legislation.
But former Health Director Will Humble said that Kaiser may be on to something.
“There is actually some pretty compelling evidence to support the sponsor’s claim,” he told Capitol Media Services.
Humble, currently executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, cited an August study of Israeli patients that compared those who had gotten a double dose of the Pfizer vaccine with people who had been infected and recovered.
The study also looked at those who had been infected and recovered but then also got vaccinated.
He said people in that last group had the lowest rate of “breakthrough” reinfections. But Humble said the research also showed that a natural infection provided superior protection in comparison to those who had received only the two Pfizer shots.
Humble acknowledged that this is not an official peer-reviewed study.
“But these researchers have a good reputation (and) work at reputable institutions,” he said,
“Importantly, there was no external funding for the study,” Humble continued, something he said is “super important” to indicate any possible bias.
Kaiser said he is not vaccinated.
“I am low-risk,” he said, being just 40 years old and not having any medical conditions that make him more susceptible to danger. But Kaiser said that, unlike some of his legislative colleagues, he is not against vaccines.
“If I were not low-risk, I probably would have gotten it,” he said.
Kaiser said there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered during debate on his legislation, including how long naturally acquired immunity lasts.
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