'Pfizer jab produces less antibodies against Delta variant of coronavirus'

People fully vaccinated with the PfizerBioNTech vaccine are likely to have more than five times lower levels of neutralising antibodies against the Delta variant first identified in India compared to the original strain according to research published in The Lancet journalThe study also shows that levels of these antibodies that are able to recognise and fight the virus are lower with increasing age and that levels decline over time providing additional evidence in support of plans to deliver a booster dose to vulnerable peopleIt supports current plans in the UK to reduce the dose gap between vaccines since they found that after just one dose of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine people are less likely to develop antibody levels against the B16172 variant as high as those seen against the previously dominant B117 Alpha variant first found in KentAlso Read Telangana Covid19 positive woman infects daughterinlaw with forcible hugThe team led by researchers from the Francis Crick Institute in the UK noted that levels of antibodies alone do not predict vaccine effectiveness and prospective population studies are also needed Lower neutralising antibody levels may still be associated with protection against Covid19 they saidThe study analysed antibodies in the blood of 250 healthy people who received either one or two doses of the PfizerBioNTech Covid19 vaccine up to three months after their first doseThe researchers tested the ability of antibodies to block entry of the virus into cells so called neutralising antibodies against five different variants of SARSCoV2They then compared concentrations of these neutralising antibodies between all variantsData from previous clinical studies suggests that higher antibody titres or concentration is a good predictor of vaccine efficacy and greater protection against Covid19The researchers found that in people who had been vaccinated with two doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine levels of neutralising antibodies were more than five times lower against the B16172 variant when compared to the original strain upon which current vaccines are basedThis antibody response was even lower in people who had only received one dose they saidAfter a single dose of PfizerBioNTech 79 per cent of people had a quantifiable neutralising antibody response against the original strain but this fell to 50 per cent for B117 32 per cent for B16172 and 25 per cent for B1351 or Beta variant first discovered in South AfricaWhile antibody levels decreased with age against all variants no correlation was observed for sex or body mass index BMIThis virus will likely be around for some time to come so we need to remain agile and vigilantrdquo said Emma Wall an Infectious Diseases consultant at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust UCLHOur study is designed to be responsive to shifts in the pandemic so that we can quickly provide evidence on changing risk and protection Wall saidThe researchers noted that the most important thing is to ensure that vaccine protection remains high enough to keep as many people out of hospital as possibleThe study suggests that the best way to do this is to quickly deliver second doses and provide boosters to those whose immunity may not be high enough against these new variants they saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever