The Biden administration announced in August that COVID-19 vaccine boosters would soon be made available to the general public. But since then, a new debate has begun over whether or not all fully vaccinated people need additional shots eight months after their last dose due to decreased immunity. Growing evidence has suggested that many of those who have received all the necessary vaccines are highly protected against hospitalization or death from the disease, even in the face of the highly contagious variant of Delta. But now, a new study has found that the Modern vaccine generates a particularly strong immune response, meaning those who initially received it are protected for longer than originally thought.
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The latest findings, published in the journal Science on September 14, they come from a team of researchers from the Institute of Immunology of La Jolla (LJI) who set out to study how long immunity to COVID-19 would last in patients with modern mRNA vaccine at different dosage levels. The team compared the immune responses observed in patients recovered from COVID with those who had received two injections of 25 micrograms (mg) of the vaccine 28 days apart, which is a quarter of the 100 mg doses given. currently administered by vaccine, during first-phase clinical trials.
The team found that even the lowest dose generated strong CD4 + (helper) T cells, CD8 + (killer) T cells, and antibody responses for at least six months after the second was administered. removed. They concluded that the immune response would likely last well beyond the initial window, with data showing that all age groups had sustained immune memory, even those in the highly vulnerable population aged 70 and over. .
“This time point is critical because that’s when true immune memory is formed,” Daniela Weiskopf, Said in a statement, PhD, co-leader of the study and assistant research professor at LJI.
“Immune memory was stable and that was impressive,” Shane Crotty, Added PhD, co-leader of the LJI study. “This is a good indicator of the durability of mRNA vaccines.” However, he noted that the results still cannot determine whether a lower dose offers the same level of protection as those currently being administered, and said “a clinical trial would be needed” to determine the actual efficacy.
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The recently published results seem to add to a growing body of evidence from other researchers that Moderna’s traits generate a greater immune response. One of these studies published on August 16 a JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed the vaccine response in more than 950 health workers in the Johns Hopkins health system. The results found that those who received Moderna developed more advanced IgG antibodies than those who received Pfizer.
And even beyond the antibody-generated response, recent Mayo Clinic research also showed how much Modern protection could have more than Pfizer. According to this study, which was previously printed on August 8 in medRxiv, people who received the Moderna vaccine had a double risk of advanced infection compared to people who received Pfizer shots.
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“Our observational study shows that while both COVID-19 mRNA vaccines strongly protect against infection and serious disease, further evaluation of the mechanisms underlying differences in their effectiveness, such as dosing regimens, is needed. and the composition of vaccines, ”the Mayo Clinic researchers concluded.
The LJI team announced that it plans to continue research that will help determine protection against other types of COVID-19 vaccines. But for now, Weiskopf points out that real-world data shows the prey currently available to maintain its effectiveness over time. “People in hospitals are not vaccinated,” he said.
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