COVID vaccine may not protect you against it, study finds

The international medical community has announced that the development and publication of effective vaccines is one of the most important milestones in the coronavirus pandemic, sparking optimism that the disease’s worst days are over. But it wasn’t long after the inoculations started that variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were discovered around the world, which made it more contagious than the previous dominant strain – and raised questions about the how mutations might affect how well vaccines work. Now, a new study has suggested that the COVID vaccine or natural immunity in patients who have already recovered from the disease may not protect against infection with the new strain of the virus. Read on to see what researchers say it could put you at risk, and to learn more about what clues your body might be giving you, check out If you have this subtle symptom, you may have already had COVID. .

The antibodies have been shown to be ineffective against a variant.

The study, which was published in pre-print and has not yet been peer reviewed, drew blood from 44 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 by September, date at which the South African strain of the virus was first discovered, CNN reports. Disturbingly, the researchers found that half of the patients were not protected by their natural antibodies against the variant – officially called SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 – raising concerns that the vaccines could also protect themselves from it. strain.

“I think we should be alarmed,” Penny moore, PhD, associate professor at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in South Africa and lead author of the study. “We saw a knockout. It was a scary result.”

More severe cases of COVID generate a better immune response.

The results showed that for about half of the 44 subjects, the antibodies were unable to protect them from reinfection with the virus. However, the other half of the subjects, who had experienced more severe cases of COVID during their initial infection, saw a weakened but not completely diminished immune response to the new strain due to their initial increased antibody response.

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The researchers also found that two mutations on the surface of the South African strain directly affected the tips used as targets by the vaccines. “Based on Penny’s data, it’s likely the vaccine will be a little less effective, but we don’t know how much less effective,” David Montefiori, PhD, a virologist at Duke University Medical Center, told CNN. And for more on how you can protect yourself, see If you don’t, your mask won’t protect you, according to the study.

Researchers are currently testing the vaccine.

With the potential vulnerability exposed, researchers now continue to study how development might decrease vaccine effectiveness. But many fear the evidence currently suggests there is a serious problem: “I have no reason to believe that the results with people who have been vaccinated will be any different from those who have had a previous infection,” said Montefiori on CNN.

Others point out that there are now serious consequences that could be felt in the coming days. “I’m desperately worried in the next six to 12 weeks we’re going to see a situation with this pandemic unlike anything we’ve seen so far. And it’s really a challenge that I don’t think most people realize yet ” Michael Osterholm, PhD, epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota and a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Transition Advisory Committee, CNN said New day.

The researchers point out that people should always get the vaccine.

Despite this disheartening finding, the researchers still suggest that as many people as possible take the vaccine to protect themselves, suggesting that the doses may create the largest antibody response needed to fight the South African strain. Moore pointed to a recent study from Sheba Medical Center in Israel, which has not yet been peer-reviewed or published online, which found that 102 healthcare workers who received the two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine were producing analyzes. blood that showed a much higher antibody response than patients who had previously suffered from severe COVID.

“We have to remember that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 95% effective – this is an extraordinary level of effectiveness,” Montefiori told CNN. “If it cuts down to 90, 80, 70 percent efficiency, it’s still very, very good and likely to have a major impact on the pandemic.” And for more information on what you need to know before you get your vaccine, check out Dr. Fauci just issued this warning about COVID vaccine side effects.