Encouraging results. Moderna’s vaccine against Covid-19, the authorization of which is being studied in several countries, produced antibodies that persisted 90 days after vaccination, according to the study of 34 participants at the start of clinical trials, published Thursday December 3 in the medical journal New England Journal of Medicine.
The duration of protection is undoubtedly longer, but these are the first data over a period of several months, independently validated by a scientific journal. Participants will be followed for 13 months to verify longer-term protection, the authors say.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health tested the level of two types of antibodies to the coronavirus 90 days after the second dose of the vaccine, which itself is given 28 days after the first.
They saw a decrease “light” and the expected antibody level in vaccinated participants, but at a level that remained high and above the natural immunity observed in former patients who had recovered from Covid-19. In addition, no serious side effects were seen in the so-called phase 1 study, which began in March.
Antibodies are only part of the immune response, along with B (immune memory, antibody production) and T lymphocytes (which kill infected cells). The researchers note that the data on immune memory cells is not yet known, but that previous studies have shown that the vaccine elicits well in killer cells.
“Overall, it’s pretty positive news”Benjamin Neuman, a professor at Texas A&M University, said of the new study. The specialist notes that even in the elderly, the immune response persists “fairly strong”.
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