The New York Times: Got a Covid Booster? You Probably Won’t Need Another for a Long Time
New research has suggested that a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose may not be needed for most people. John Wherry, director of the Institute for immunology at the University of Pennsylvania has said the elderly or people at high risk of infection could benefit from a fourth vaccination but for others, it may not be needed for many months or even years. A third booster creates a wide array of antibodies that makes it difficult for any variant to avoid. Four studies have even suggested that the immune system can remember and destroy the virus years on. T cells are specialized immune cells produced after vaccination. These cells have been shown to be effective against every variant and have a history of declining slowly. T cells in people infected with the 2003 SARS coronavirus lasted more than 17 years. A “memory response” by T cells gives scientists confidence that the third booster for most people could be effective for years. The full article by Apoorva Mandavilli can be read here on The New York Times. For more on COVID-19 vaccines click here.
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