Vaccinated people are so well protected against corona after the first vaccination that the risk of infection drops drastically, according to the result of a new Oxford study.
As part of a study, researchers from Oxford University in the UK investigated how effective the corona vaccination protects against the disease after the first dose. The researchers analyzed 1,610,562 test results from nasal and throat swabs collected from 373,402 study participants between December 1, 2020 and April 3, 2021. 21 days after a single dose of either Astrazeneca or Biontech vaccines (with no second dose)
, rates of all new Covid-19 infections were down 65 percent, symptomatic infections 72 percent, and infections with no reported symptoms fell 57 percent.
According to a press release from the University of Oxford,
the decrease in infections after a second dose was even more drastic (70 percent and 90 percent)
and was similar to the effects in people who were previously infected naturally with Covid-19 had - regardless of age.
Extend the interval between the corona vaccinations to twelve weeks?
"
Protecting against new infections with a single dose supports the decision to extend the period between the first and second dose to twelve weeks in
order to maximize vaccination protection and reduce hospital stays and deaths," said Dr.
Koen Pouwels, Senior Researcher in the Nuffield Department of Population Health at Oxford University.
The fact that the number of asymptomatic infections was lower than the number of infections with symptoms, according to the press release, underscores the possibility
that vaccinated people can contract Covid-19 again
and that there is limited transmission of vaccinated people, even if they do is less.
This shows the need for everyone to continue to follow the guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission, for example through spacing rules and masks.
"Received second dose of vaccine to increase protection"
In their evaluation, the Oxford researchers compared, among other things, how the antibody levels changed after a single dose of the vaccine from Astrazeneca or Biontech or after two doses of the Biontech vaccine (which are usually administered 21-42 days apart). Among those vaccinated for the first time, antibody responses to a single dose of either vaccine were lower in the elderly, especially those over 60 years of age.
Antibody responses to two doses of the Biontech vaccine were high in all age groups
and, particularly in the elderly, were similar to those in people who received a single dose after a previous infection.
David Eyre, Associate Professor at the Big Data Institute at Oxford University, says: “For older people, two doses of vaccine are just as effective as a previous natural infection in terms of building antibodies against the Sars-CoV-2 virus, Covid-19 causes - in younger people, the same level of response is achieved with a single dose.
Our results underscore the
importance of people receiving the second dose of vaccine to increase protection. "
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