30pc of Vaccinated People Lose Immunity 6 Months After Jab, Shows Study

Hyderabad: A recent study published on Wednesday found that roughly one in three people lose immunity six months after receiving the COVID vaccine, even though vaccination rates are at an all-time high.

According to the study conducted by AIG Hospitals and the Asian Healthcare Foundation, most of these people were over 40 years old and had co-morbidities such as hypertension and diabetes.

After six months of being fully vaccinated, these people had a much lower antibody response and are hence at a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The findings emphasise the importance of boosters after six months for these vulnerable adults.

Also Read: Telangana Begins Door to Door Survey to Check For COVID

"We are seeing a surge of infections across the country. Fortunately, the severity of the disease is mild because of multiple factors, including the effect of vaccination, the intrinsic character of the variant itself, and natural immunity amongst the population," said Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals, in a statement.

"The study aimed to understand the effectiveness of current vaccines over the long term and see if there are specific populations that need a booster at the earliest," he added.

The research involved a large group of 1,636 fully immunised healthcare personnel.

All of the subjects' IgG anti-S1 and IgG anti-S2 antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were assessed by the researchers.

Antibody levels of 100 AU/ml are thought to be the minimum level of protection against the virus, meaning that anyone with a level of less than 100 AU/ml is vulnerable to infection.

Antibody negative People had antibody levels of less than 15 AU/mL, which suggests they didn't build any protective immunity against the infection.

According to Dr Reddy, 6% of the participants did not establish any immune protection at all.

The findings clearly show that fading immunity is directly proportional to age, implying that younger people have higher sustained antibody levels than the elderly.

Also Read: Good News: WHO Says 2022 Will Be Last Year of COVID Emergency, Deets Inside

There is currently a nine-month gap in booster dosage availability, which benefits 70% of the population who can maintain sufficient antibody levels beyond six months.

"However, considering the scale of our country, the 30 per cent people especially those with co-morbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes, etc., who are more prone to develop an infection after six months of getting fully vaccinated should also be considered for the prevention dose," Reddy added.