A second or fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine may boost the body’s immune defenses beyond the higher level of protection achieved with the third dose, according to a new British scientific study. Research shows that antibodies reach higher levels after the fourth dose given at least six months after the third.
“We showed that a fourth dose of vaccine Covid-19 “It can produce a significant boost in both antibodies and cellular immunity when given more than six months after the third dose,” said lead researcher Sol Faust, a professor of immunology at the University of Southampton School of Medicine, according to the Guardian. “.
The researchers, in the COV-BOOST multicenter randomized study published in the medical journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, studied 166 people with a mean age of 70 who had taken a fourth dose this year (half the full Pfizer / BioNTe dose). and the remaining half dose Moderna) on average seven months after the third dose (Pfizer / BioNTech) and while their initial two doses were either Pfizer / BioNTech or AstraZeneca.
It was found that 14 days after the fourth dose there was a 1.6-fold increase in antibodies to those who had taken Pfizer / BioNTech and more than twice to those who had taken Moderna. The increases were felt in both the under and over 70s. In addition, a significant increase in T-lymphocytes (cellular immunity) of six to seven times was observed 14 days after the fourth dose with both vaccines.
The researchers said that these findings are consistent with those from Israel, which show increased protection from the fourth dose against both infection with symptoms, as well as against severe illness and hospitalization. However, those who had only a slight weakening of their immune protection before the fourth dose – e.g. because between the third and fourth doses they were infected with the coronavirus so they also developed natural immunity – they also showed only a slight improvement in their immune response after the fourth dose.
Immunology professor Danny Altman of Imperial College London commented that the new study confirms the added value of the fourth dose, which is important as Omicron continues to be a serious threat. That is why, he said, there is an urgent need for all age groups to improve their immune protection through the fourth dose.
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