New Data Supports The Use Of Antibodies For The Monitoring Of Vaccine Efficacy

New Data Supports The Use Of Antibodies For The Monitoring Of Vaccine Efficacy

One of Dr. Fauci’s briefings about the booster shots contained one interesting piece of information, a reference to a study regarding the connection between antibodies and the protection offered by a COVID-19 vaccine. A paper showed a relationship between the amounts of these antibodies and the vaccine’s success (heralding a higher level of vaccine efficacy).

The researchers analyzed the blood of patients who had taken the vaccine. They were searching for markers that show protection against the virus. The research discovered that vaccinated patients had neutralizing antibodies. The more antibodies in the body, the higher the level of protection against COVID-19.

The new study looked at the blood of multiple patients that had taken the Moderna shot.”[The antibody levels] were consistently lower in the vaccinated people who became a COVID case compared to people who remained free of COVID. So maybe they would only need to study a couple of hundred people instead of tens of thousands if they wanted to show a vaccine was working, ” explained Peter Gilbert from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Nonetheless, it is essential to note that antibodies are not the only factor related to the efficiency of the vaccine. Biostatistician David Benkeser from Emory University explained that other parts of the immune system are just as important, such as the T-cells.

“Two percent of the individuals who were vaccinated had very, very low levels. Levels of antibodies that were below that lower limit of detection. However, about 50% of those individuals in that 2% of the population were still protected and did not come down with symptomatic COVID-19 disease.” added Christopher Houchens, who is a biomedical researcher at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

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