Protection following Covid-19 vaccination short-lived, booster shots important: Study

Since Covid-19 vaccines first became available to protect against infection and severe illness, there has been much uncertainty about how long the protection lasts and when it might be necessary for individuals to get an additional booster shot

Vaccine protection against Covid-19 is short-lived and, therefore, booster shots are important, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The mRNA vaccines produce the highest levels of antibody response and in our analysis confer more durable protection than other vaccines or exposures," said lead author Jeffrey Townsend from Yale University, in the study. "However, it is important to remember that natural immunity and vaccination are not mutually exclusive. Many people will have partial immunity from multiple sources, so understanding the relative durability is key to deciding when to provide a boost to your immune system," Townsend added.

Since Covid-19 vaccines first became available to protect against infection and severe illness, there has been much uncertainty about how long the protection lasts and when it might be necessary for individuals to get an additional booster shot.

For the study, the team quantified the likelihood of future infection following natural infection or vaccination by the Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

The risk of breakthrough infections, in which a person becomes infected despite being vaccinated, depends on the vaccine type.

According to the study, current mRNA vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna) offer the greatest duration of protection, nearly three times as long as natural infection and the Johnson & Johnson and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

Also read: 25 mn kids missed routine vaccinations due to Covid-19

A new report by from WHO and UNICEF has also revealed that a whopping 25 million children missed life saving vaccinations in 2021, increasing their risk of devastating but preventable diseases. It is the "largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years," the report said.

Of the 25 million, more than 60 per cent lived in just 10 countries like India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Philippines, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, Pakistan, Angola, and Myanmar. India is also among countries that had children who did not receive even a single dose of vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) in 2021, the report said.

DTP3 vaccinations, which is a marker for immunisation coverage within and across countries fell 5 percentage points between 2019 and 2021 to 81 per cent.

"18 million of the 25 million children did not receive a single dose of DTP during the year, the vast majority of whom live in low- and middle-income countries, with India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the Philippines recording the highest numbers," the report said.

Further the report showed that the pandemic continues to affect basic vaccination among kids -- in 2020 about 23 million infants missed vaccination while in 2019 the figure was 19 million. Many factors, including an increased number of children living in conflict and fragile settings, and increased misinformation contributed for the decline.

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