As the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to dominate headlines and hospital charts, the nation appears to be waiting on some good news to finally arrive.
This new strain of COVID-19 has been beating down our doors for weeks now, increasing infections and hospitalizations fairly steadily around the country, largely among the unvaccinated.
But, as we’re now learning, not all vaccines are equal when it comes to preventing infection.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine resulted in antibody activity against variants, including the highly transmissible delta variant, six months after the second dose, a study found. However, antibody levels waned over time, and researchers said the results inform the potential need for a booster shot.
“Binding and functional antibodies against variants persisted in most subjects, albeit at low levels, for 6-months after the primary series of the mRNA-1273 vaccine,” study authors wrote.
The study, led by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the Science journal late Thursday, drawing from an analysis of blood samples from 24 participants across several age groups (18-55, 55-70, and 71+), finding that 96% of samples neutralized the delta variant. However, neutralizing activity was lowest against the B.1.351 variant first detected in South Africa, with 54% of samples neutralizing the variant, or a 1.5-fold reduction and 3-fold reduction, respectively.
The news comes just days after it was revealed that the Pfizer vaccine was actually far less effective against the variant, with a neutralization rate of only around 40% against the delta strain.
