Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have set off an immune system response that likely offers longer-lasting protection against the coronavirus, according to a new study released on Monday.The findings, which were published in the journal Nature, add more evidence to the notion that people immunized with mRNA vaccines may need less or even no boosters at all after they’ve been given their two shots. According to the study, such mRNA-based vaccines create a more “persistent” germinal centre B cell response, essentially meaning that a person’s immune response would be much stronger and more durable. While both Pfizer and Moderna have previously said that booster shots would likely be needed on an annual basis, the results come amid mounting evidence of the mRNA vaccines’ efficacy, and longevity, of protecting against COVID-19 — without the need of a booster.
The researchers examined participants four months after they received their first Pfizer dose and found that the germinal centres in their lymph nodes, likened to a sort of boot camp for immune cells, kept pumping out said cells to protect against the virus that causes COVID-19.
“We found that germinal centers were still going strong 15 weeks after the vaccine’s first dose. We’re still monitoring the germinal centers, and they’re not declining; in some people, they’re still ongoing,” he said. mRNA vaccines can be rapidly tweaked — within six weeks — to account for protection against any new or “emerging variants,” according to Evans.
(David Lao, Global News)
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