Levels of antibodies in the blood of vaccinated people that are able to recognise and fight the new SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant first discovered in India (B.1.617.2) are on average lower than those against previously circulating variants in the UK, according to new laboratory data from the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, published as a Research letter in The Lancet.
Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine: Pfizer jab recipients have lower antibodies targeting Indian variant
The research also suggests the levels of these antibodies are lower with increasing age and that levels decline over time
Elliot Hawkins
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Around 40 million people in the UK have now received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Levels of antibodies in the blood of vaccinated people that are able to recognise and fight the new SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant first discovered in India (B.1.617.2) are on average lower than those against previously circulating variants in the UK, according to new laboratory data from the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, published today (Thursday) as a Research letter in The Lancet.
A total of 12,431 cases of the mutation have been confirmed in the UK up to June 2, according to Public Health England. This up 79% from the previous week’s total of 6,959.
Emma Wall, UCLH Infectious Diseases consultant and senior clinical research fellow for the study, said: “The most important thing is to ensure that vaccine protection remains high enough to keep as many people out of hospital as possible.
“And our results suggest that the best way to do this is to quickly deliver second doses and provide boosters to those whose immunity may not be high enough against these new variants.”
The study also shows that levels of these antibodies that are able to recognise and fight the virus are lower with increasing age, and that levels decline over time, providing additional evidence in support of plans to deliver a booster dose to vulnerable people.