Six different Covid vaccines are safe and effective when used as boosters, UK study finds
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Ethan Hall, an emergency medical technician, gives Mark Turney (66), a patient undergoing kidney transplants, his Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 booster shot on Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut, August 24, 2021.
Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images
A U.K. study discovered that 6 different Covid-19 vaccinations were safe and effective as booster doses.
The Lancet published a peer-reviewed Phase 2 study that examined seven vaccines administered after taking two doses each of Oxford or University-branded vaccines.AstraZenecaOr Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine.
The study included vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer BioNTech. Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, ValnevaAnd Curevac.
Study that involved 28878 people over 30 years old found no safety issues with any of seven vaccines. The most frequent side effects were fatigue, headaches, pain at injection sites, which were more common in younger patients.
The study involved 912 participants who experienced adverse reactions to their booster shots. 24 of these severe events were reported.
The study authors stated that participants were in good health and had been recruited from 18 U.K. cities. Half of participants had been administered two doses Oxford-AstraZeneca, while the rest were vaccinated using the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
The study involved approximately half of those over 70. A control group was created and some people were given the meningococcal vaccine.
Different immune reactions
The researchers measured antibody levels that targeted the spike protein of the coronavirus four weeks after boosters had been administered.
Spike protein, a crucial part of coronavirus’s structure, allows it to enter human cell.
Monitoring also included T cells response which is a key component in fighting viral infections. This may influence the severity and duration of Covid-19.
These results were compared to the beta, alpha and delta strains as well as the original Chinese strain.
Study found that immunity was boosted by all seven vaccines when administered after 10 to 12 weeks of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination.
Study found that everyone except Valneva had boosted immunity, with the exception of Valneva.
Participants who received two doses Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had spike protein-attacking antibody levels that were between 1.8 and 32.3 times greater (after Valneva), 28 days later. This was depending on which booster vaccine they had been given. After receiving two doses of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, the antibody levels rose from 1.3x higher (after Valneva), up to 11.5x higher (after Moderna).
Learn limitations
The study authors acknowledged that they did not know how different boosters worked to prevent transmission, hospitalization, and death by Covid. It was also not clear what the effect of a booster on antibody levels after four weeks and how it affects long-term immunity.
Saul Faust was trial leader and the director of the NIHR Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton. He said that the results were “really encouraging.”
“[This study]”Gives confidence and flexibility to develop booster programs here in Britain and internationally, with other factors like supply chains and logistics also in play,” he explained in a release Thursday.
“Further research will produce data at three and one years after individuals have received their boosters. These will allow for insights into long-term immunity and immune memory.”
The report also noted limitations such as the limited age ranges of the participants and that many of them were white. Also, there was a shorter time between the doses which, according to the authors, could reduce immune response.
Researchers are currently studying boosters’ effects seven to eight weeks after initial doses. Results will be available in 2022.
Most people receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and Moderna vaccine in the U.K. as a booster. Some people also get the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination if the other options are not available.
FDA (U.S.) has authorized the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinesYou can use it in the country’s booster programme, in IsraelThe Pfizer BioNTech vaccination is the only one being used.
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