Nearly 8% of Americans who have received their first BioNTech-Pfizer or Moderna shot have not returned for their second dose, according to recent CDC data. Just how effective is a single dose?
Nearly 8% of Americans who have received their first BioNTech-Pfizer or Moderna shot have not returned for their second dose, according to recent CDC data. Just how effective is a single dose?
COVID-recovered people may only need one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines
Out of a small study of 44 participants, 11 who previously recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection saw minimal immune benefit after their second doses. By
Story at a glance
Experts are still learning about immune responses to the novel coronavirus and the vaccines.
A small study finds evidence that suggests that people who have recovered benefit from one dose of Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines but may not receive additional benefit from a second dose.
The researchers are conducting large scale studies to further investigate this.
A team of researchers at the Penn Institute of Immunology took blood samples from 44 study participants before and while they were receiving either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. Of the participants, 33 were naive to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and 11 were recovered from previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The findings, published in
Science Immunology, suggest only a single vaccine dose may be needed to produce a sufficient antibody response.
Researchers found that those who did not have COVID-19 called COVID naïve did not have a full immune response until after receiving their second vaccine dose, reinforcing the importance of completing the two recommended doses for achieving strong levels of immunity.
The study provides more insight on the underlying immunobiology of mRNA vaccines, which could help shape future vaccine strategies.
“These results are encouraging for both short- and long-term vaccine efficacy, and this adds to our understanding of the mRNA vaccine immune response through the analysis of memory B cells,” says senior author E. John Wherry, chair of the department of systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Institute of Immunology in the Perelman School of Medicine.
By Sola Ogundipe
Those who have had COVID-19 may only need one vaccine dose, a new study suggests People who have recovered from COVID-19 had a robust antibody response after the first mRNA vaccine dose, but a little immune benefit after the second dose, according to new research from the Penn Institute of Immunology.
The findings, published in Science Immunology, suggest only a single vaccine dose may be needed to produce a sufficient antibody response.
The team found that those who did not have COVID-19 called COVID naïve did not have a full immune response until after receiving their second vaccine dose, reinforcing the importance of completing the two recommended doses for achieving strong levels of immunity.