Covid immune response after Pfizer vaccine wanes in months, say studies

The vaccines have helped the global community in its fight against Covid pandemic. The vaccines boost immune response and train the immune system to fight the infection. There has always been apprehension about how long this effect lasts. Now, two separate studies have said that the immune response after receiving Pfizer Covid vaccine wanes in several months. However, protection against severe infection, hospitalisation and death remains strong.

The studies were conducted in Israel and Qatar.

In Israeli study covered 4800 health workers. It was found that antibody levels waned rapidly after two doses of the vaccine. Men, persons aged 60 and above and those with immunosuppression were found to be susceptible to such an effect.

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Researchers have said that neutralising antibody levels in years after vaccines against measles mumps and rubella decreased at the rate of 5 to 10 per cent each year.

But the antibody levels decreased rapidly in months after receiving Pfizer vaccine.

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The second study carried out in Qatar analysed infections among highly vaccinated people. People in Qatar mostly got Pfizer vaccine. The researcher found that waning of the efect of the vaccine was prominently seen after fourth. Howeever, the researchers found that the protection from hospitalisation and death remained above 90 per cent.