CDC director responds after senator claims agency website gives more weight to natural immunity than vaccine

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Much of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been in relation to the use of vaccines for immunity to the exclusion of reliance on natural immunity for those who have been infected and recovered, but Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., had questions for CDC Director Rochelle Walensky over guidance that gave the appearance of giving greater weight to natural immunity.

Burr, the ranking member of the  Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, closed a hearing Thursday by pointing to how, according to the CDC, a person who has had COVIC-19 and recovered in the last 90 days can travel to the U.S. without needing to be tested first (although it is recommended that they get tested three to five days after arriving). At the same time, the agency requires travelers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 – and even those with booster shots – to be tested before entering the U.S.

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"The CDC’s own website puts more value on natural immunity than they do on two vaccine shots and a booster shot," Burr said.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, during a hearing in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Walensky began her response by saying that everyone should be vaccinated whether they have been previously infected or not. Burr then reiterated his confusion about how non-vaccinated people who have been infected do not have to be tested, but vaccinated people do.

"That is so confusing that there’s every reason to believe that the American people can look at this and say, ‘What in the hell are you guys doing? What are you judging this based on?’ It’s not common sense and it’s certainly not science."

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Walensky pointed out that the tests could lead to people who already had COVID-19 being confused with those who have it at the time.

"The scientific ground for these tests is that these PCR tests can stay positive for up to 12 weeks," Walensky said. "And so what we’re working to prevent is that people who would have a persistently positive test from prior infection not be confused with people who are newly infected in that country. They actually have to prove that they’ve had a positive test."

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gives her opening statement during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 4, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

"It’s the science that’s informing that," she added.

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Burr has been after the CDC for its messaging for some time. In July, he accused them of creating "an air of panic" by issuing new guidance on masks for vaccinated individuals without the context of data or any explanation. 

"This data should have been released at the same time the updated guidance was announced, so Americans could review it for themselves and understand CDC’s reasoning," he said.