‘I believe in science’: Sarah Palin says she won’t get Covid jab because she’s already protected against virus

CDC guidance says those who recover from Covid-19 infection should still get vaccinated

Former governor of Alaska and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has revealed that she has not been vaccinated against Covid-19 because she believes “in science”.

Speaking to Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld, Ms Palin said that she now has natural immunity from the virus having recovered from it in March.

People magazine reported in early April that the running mate of the late-Senator John McCain in the 2008 election contracted the disease along with her 12-year-old son Trig.

She said that she suffered from sore muscles and lost her sense of smell and taste, and urged people to wear masks – even as other high-profile Republicans railed against them.

Speaking with Mr Gutfeld on Thursday, she said: “I am one of those white, common sense conservatives. I believe in science and I have not taken the shot.

“One, because the waitress never came back to ask me if I’m ready for that shot,” she continued. “But two, because I do believe in science and the Fauci-ism of the day back then was, if you’ve had Covid – I’ve had Covid – well then, Mother Nature was creating an immunity.”

While it is true that having recovered from Covid does provide a person with some immunity for an uncertain amount of time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people get vaccinated “regardless” of any previous infection.

The agency’s website states: “Research has not yet shown how long you are protected from getting Covid-19 again after you recover from Covid-19.”

“Vaccination helps protect you even if you’ve already had Covid-19,” it adds. “Evidence is emerging that people get better protection by being fully vaccinated compared with having had Covid-19. One study showed that unvaccinated people who already had Covid-19 are more than two times as likely than fully vaccinated people to get Covid-19 again.”

Ms Palin and her fellow guests on the Fox News show briefly cited an Israeli study that showed that those who had experienced a prior infection were 27 times less likely to get a second symptomatic Covid-19 infection than those who were just vaccinated.

The study did however also note that those who were previously infected and received a single dose of vaccine received additional protection from the Delta variant of Covid-19.

As the study is a preprint, it has not been peer-reviewed or evaluated by scientists other than the authors, and should not be used to guide clinical practice.