With more vaccines against COVID-19 looking to be put into arms, those who have had the virus are also eligible to get the vaccine.

Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf says those who contracted the virus have natural immunity that can last for up to 90 days. However, Wolf encourages those individuals to still get the vaccine to lengthen their protection.

“The thing that you have to remember is some people that have had COVID before and they get the vaccination, maybe they have a little bit more side effects. And it’s just because your body is responding to that virus. But we want to make sure that people know, you do need to get vaccinated.”

Wolf notes the more people that get vaccinated, the more the county can move towards herd immunity.

“So the term herd immunity occurs when enough people become immune to a disease and it makes the spread of that disease very unlikely. And when that happens, then the entire community is protected, including those who are not immune, which becomes very advantageous for people that are unable to get vaccinated for whatever health reason.”

Wolf adds, her goal for the county’s herd immunity is 75-80-percent.