Studies show Pfizer’s vaccine plummets in effectiveness after months
The New England Journal of Medicine released the details of two new studies that examined covid-19 vaccine effectiveness among Qataris and Israeli health workers.
How effective is the vaccine against symptoms?
One study, says CNN, covered 4,800 Israeli health care workers. Findings indicate a rapid decrease in antibody levels after two doses of vaccine especially among men, persons 65 years of age or older, and persons with immunosuppression.”
Researchers’ work only covered antibodies. The levels of neutralizing antibodies — the immune system’s first line of defense against infection — correlate with protection against infection, and have not been included in the study.
The study also indicated that immunity for people who get vaccinated after natural Covid-19 infection lasts longer, reports CNN. It’s especially strong for people who recovered from infection and then got vaccinated.
How effective is the vaccine against infection?
The study from Qatar looked at the number of infections among the highly vaccinated population of that small Gulf nation. People there mostly got Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine.
Researchers found that Pfizer’s vaccine offered increasing protection infection after its first dose. The protection peaks in the first month after the second dose, then gradually wanes in the following months.
After four months of taking the second dose, the protection against infection reaches to a low of 20%.
Nonetheless, protection against hospitalization and death stayed at above 90%, researchers said.
Is the problem in the vaccinated rather than the vaccines?
According to the CNN, vaccinated individuals could be more likely to dismiss safety measures, and expose themselves to infections more than before. That would mean the waning is more related to social behaviour rather than the vaccine’s biologic effectiveness.
Both studies are real-world, which means the human element is likely to come at play.
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