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The COVID-19 vaccination program has led to “a high proportion of individuals” in England with detectable antibodies, but concerns remain about lower absorption in people who have already been infected with the coronavirus, scientists say that follow the epidemic.
A government-commissioned study found the prevalence of antibodies in England to be 61%, based on the results of finger prick self-tests of more than 200,000 people, taken between May 12 and 25.
But experts warned that there were certain key groups with lower antibody prevalence – especially unvaccinated youth, certain ethnic minority groups, those living in deprived areas and workers in certain public jobs such as the hospitality and retail.
Their results also showed an almost 40% decrease in the coronavirus vaccination rate in people who reported a previous infection with COVID-19.
“There are a number of people who have said they are happy with the natural immunity [from COVID-19 infection]”said Helen Ward, professor of public health at Imperial College London.” So I think we have to get the right messages out to say, ‘In fact, we know that immunity after infection wanes over time. “.”
The researchers said this means that over time this group will become susceptible to a second infection – unless they are vaccinated.
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Data from the Imperial College London study REACT-2, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, showed that antibodies were 30% less likely to be detected in men than in women, and were higher among people of Asian, black, mixed and other ethnicity compared to those of white ethnicity.
The presence of antibodies to the coronavirus suggests that someone has already had the infection or has been vaccinated. It takes two to three weeks after infection or vaccination for the body to produce enough antibodies to fight the virus.
“We saw greater vaccination coverage in people of Asian descent than white (13%), which is a change from what other people reported earlier in the vaccination schedule, but still much lower coverage among black people than white. ethnicity (59 percent), ”said Professor Ward.
Professor Ward said healthcare workers were 10 times more likely and four times more likely to have been vaccinated compared to non-key workers. She added: “We also found that in some other professions aimed at the public such as hospitality and retail, immunization coverage was 20% lower.”
The researchers said they also found that the single-dose antibody response of the Pfizer / BioNTech or Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines was lower in the older groups, but was closer to 100% after the second dose.
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“This is particularly important at this time because we know that with the delta variants in circulation and the increase in cases in the community, the two main vaccines – Pfizer and AstraZeneca – require these secondary sources to effectively neutralize these viruses,” said said Graham Cooke, professor of infectious diseases. at Imperial College London.
“So to get that full optimal neutralizing dose against the delta variant, you need your secondary doses.”
Commenting on the results, Professor James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, who was not involved in the study, said the data indicates that people who identify as black have lower vaccination rates. lower and higher infection rates – a “message that should disturb the conscience of this country.”
He said: “This is a very big gap. I am not qualified to comment on the reasons for this, but I can say that it means this community is significantly more at risk in the face of the current wave of COVID-19. “
Professor Naismith added: “Current approaches are not working well enough for this community. People of all ethnicities in the most disadvantaged quintile also have lower vaccination rates and higher infection rates.
“We must do better for our citizens. “
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