Waning Immunity
Immune responses don’t last forever. They’re supposed to wane, and the fact that they do works to our advantage - Katherine J. Wu
image by: Health Sciences Society
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The Good Part About ‘Waning’ Immunity
In early March, Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona, celebrated a milestone: hitting the point of full vaccination, two weeks after getting his second Pfizer shot. Since then, he’s been watching the number of coronavirus antibodies in his blood slowly but surely decline.
The drop hasn’t been precipitous, but it’s definitely happening—regular checkups have shown his antibody levels, also known as titers, ticking down, down, down, from spring through summer, now into fall. The slump fits the narrative that countless reports have been sounding the alarm on for a while now: In the months after vaccination, our antibodies peace out, a trend that’s often been…
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What We Know So Far About Waning Vaccine Effectiveness
But while the vaccines’ effectiveness against severe disease and hospitalization has mostly held steady, even through the summer surge of the highly transmissible Delta variant, a number of published studies show that their protection against infection, with or without symptoms, has fallen. Public health experts say this decline does not mean that the vaccines are not working.
Is Vaccine Immunity Waning?
It may not really be waning much — which means universal booster shots may do little good.
What We Actually Know About Waning Immunity
Immune responses don’t last forever. They’re supposed to wane, and the fact that they do works to our advantage.
COVID vaccine immunity is waning — how much does that matter?
As debates about booster shots heat up, what’s known about the duration of vaccine-based immunity is still evolving.
Covid-19 Immunity Wanes, but Third Shot Still Rarely Needed, BioNTech CEO Says
But even as antibody levels are dropping seven months after immunization among some vaccine recipients, most of them will remain protected against severe disease and might not yet need a third dose, according to Ugur Sahin, CEO of the German company that invented the vaccine and partnered with Pfizer to develop the product for the global market.
Does Covid immunity wane and will vaccine booster jabs be needed?
Multiple studies seem to suggest immunity declines over time, though what this means is unclear.
How long does immunity last after COVID vaccination? Do we need booster shots? 2 immunology experts explain
An important factor in achieving herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is is how long the vaccines protect you. If a vaccine continues to work well over a long period, it becomes easier to have a significant proportion of the population optimally protected, and in turn suppress or eliminate the disease entirely.
Silent SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Waning Immunity, Serology Testing, and COVID-19 Vaccination: A Perspective
While clearly endorsing the compelling findings on the adequacy of single-dose vaccination to prior infected cohorts, we feel detailed analysis and considerations as described here about asymptomatics and waning pools would be an inclusive approach to help define a population (prior-infected) that would benefit from single dose COVID-19 vaccination critically and confidently.
Study Shows Covid-19 Antibodies Waning Over Time, Suggesting Immunity Might Wear Off
If confirmed, results suggest widespread long-term herd immunity will be difficult to achieved.
Vaccine Protection Wanes Within Six Months Of Second Covid Shot, Study Warns, But They’re Still Effective Against Delta
The protection provided by Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines falls within six months of the second dose, new U.K. research has found, bolstering calls for booster shots amid increasing numbers of breakthrough infections and health officials pleading for scarce supplies to be directed towards those who have not been vaccinated at all.
The Good Part About ‘Waning’ Immunity
You might have fewer antibodies now. But they’re better than the ones you started with.
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