By Study shows decrease in Covid-19 vaccine protection
Recent studies into the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines have found a decrease in virus protection six months after people have been double-jabbed.
Sky News reported on the ZOE COVID Study which suggests that elderly and healthcare workers could see a 50% decrease in protection by the winter.
The Pfizer vaccine has reportedly been 88% effective in preventing Covid-19 infections a month after patients received the second dose.
However, the study found that the vaccine’s protection waned to merely 74% after five to six months.
On the other hand, the AstraZeneca vaccine fell to 77% after just one month of being double-jabbed and decreased a further 10% by the four to five month mark.
Over 1.2m participants aided in the study, but the vaccines were not trialled against the Delta variant.
A booster jab plan is looking necessary to tackle the approaching peak of the third wave.
September is looking probable for when boosters will become available to specific at-risk age groups in the UK.
Speaking to Sky News, Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Study app, said: “In my opinion, a reasonable worst-case scenario could see protection below 50% for the elderly and healthcare workers by winter.
“If high levels of infection [are reached] in the UK, driven by loosened social restrictions and a highly transmissible variant, this scenario could mean increased hospitalisations and deaths”.
He added: “Waning protection is to be expected and is not a reason to not get vaccinated.
“Vaccines still provide high levels of protection for the majority of the population, especially against the Delta variant, so we still need as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated.”
Despite these concerns, everybody is different; each person has a unique immune system which will affect how long antibodies will remain in their system.
Overall, this study’s results indicate a need to stay cautious as the year progresses, even if you are double-jabbed.
