Covid-19 vaccine booster dose increases durability of antibodies: Study
3 min read . Updated: 28 Dec 2022, 11:26 PM IST
Premium- The latest research on the booster dose stresses how the mRNA boosters from Pfizer and Moderna influence the persistence of our Covid-19 antibodies
The world is witnessing a fresh surge in the cases of the Covid-19 virus and discussions around the vaccination doses have re-started. In recent research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the advantages of the booster dose of Covid-19 were discussed.
The latest research on the booster doses stresses how the mRNA boosters from Pfizer and Moderna influence the persistence of our Covid-19 antibodies. According to the research which is published in the scientific journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the booster doses resulted in more durable antibodies in the people, even for those who have recovered after getting infected with the virus.
"These results fit with other recent reports and indicate that booster shots enhance the durability of vaccine-elicited antibodies," said senior researcher Jeffrey Wilson, MD, Ph.D., of UVA Health's Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology.
Wilson and his collaborators tracked the level of Covid-19 antibodies following a booster dose in 117 UVA employee volunteers. The results were compared with 228 volunteers after their primary vaccination series.
From one week to 31 days, the levels of antibodies were the same for both groups, but after that, the antibody levels for people with booster doses stuck for a longer period compared to the group that received the primary vaccination dose. And, the results were irrespective of whether the person had a Covid-19 infection or not.
"Our initial thought was that that booster would lead to higher antibody levels than the primary vaccine series, but that was not what we found," said researcher Samuel Ailsworth, the first author of a new scientific paper outlining the findings.
"Instead, we found that the booster led to longer-lasting antibodies," he added.
Compared with Pfizer, the antibodies generated by the Moderna vaccine proved to be lasting for much longer. At the end of the study period, the antibody levels of Moderna exceeded the levels of Pfizer by five months.
As the frequency of Covid-19 infection was relatively high in the community during the study, the researcher also studied the effects of the infection on the antibody levels. "Enhanced antibody durability observed after booster vaccination was not explained by hybrid immunity," the researchers report in their paper.
(With inputs from ANI)
