GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- Wisconsin Republicans, who control the state Assembly, approved a bill Tuesday that would require employers to count a prior COVID infection as an alternative to vaccination and testing.

The GOP maintains the natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection is at least as effective of completing a vaccine series.

Dr. Brad Burmeister of Bellin Health says the death toll could be higher if not for the usage of vaccines.

"I think the hard part here again is that there's a lot of people who think that we should not have immunized people and just went for natural immunity for everyone," said Burmeister. "But again, tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of more people, would have died and our situation right now would clearly be much worse."

Last week, the CDC released a study on cases and hospitalizations by vaccination status and previous COVID diagnosis between California and New York.

The study went from May to November of 2021, and by early October, it found when compared to unvaccinated individuals without prior infection, case rates were 29 fold lower in California and 15 fold lower in New York in those who had been infected but not vaccinated.

And 32.5 fold lower in California and 20 fold lower in New York in those who had been infected and vaccinated.

The study also said vaccination remains the safest way to prevent infections and associated complications.

Burmeister agrees, saying the vaccine has been incredibly helpful at preventing people from getting more sick and dying.

"A local health system had said that their unvaccinated people spend on average 15 days in the hospital," said Burmeister. "If they get COVID and vaccinated individuals have a much shorter stay on average around five days."

He also says that the vaccine has literally been a life saver.