The effectiveness of the booster dose in reducing the viral load is waning within a few months, according to a new study by the Maccabi KSM Research and Innovation Institute today (Thursday), headed by Dr. Tal Petlon.
Previous studies have found that the viral load is most likely related to the chances of an infected person infecting others, so the lower the viral load, the higher the chances of infection.
The study was conducted on anonymous data with the approval of the Helsinki Committee and included over 21,000 positive tests of Maccabi members over the age of 20. The period studied was between June 28 and November 29, 2021, five months during which the Delta strain was the dominant strain in Israel. .
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According to Prof. Roi Kishoni of the Technion's Faculty of Biology, "In previous studies we have seen that the vaccine and the booster not only reduce the chance of the disease, but also reduce the viral load on the infected person's body, thereby probably reducing further infections in the population. "The vaccine against high viral load fades within a few months after the booster, similar to the decrease we saw after the second dose. These results suggest a significant decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine against virus transmission, and this decrease may affect the spread of the virus in the community."
"In light of the spread of the Omicron strain, it is highly recommended that populations at risk make sure that they follow the recommendations of the health system," said Dr. Tal Fatalon, director of the research institute. The short and the long, and the means to manage it wisely. "
The research was led by Dr. Tal Fatalon and Dr. Sivan Gazit from the Maccabi Research and Innovation Institute, in collaboration with Prof. Kishoni, Matan Levy-Tiefenbrunn and Dr. Idan Yellin from the Lori Lokii Interdisciplinary Center for Life Sciences and Engineering at the Faculty of Biology at the Technion.
This is the sixth study on the corona in the framework of the joint work between the researchers.
The researchers note that the study has some limitations.
First, the study addresses only the effect of the booster on the viral load and does not examine disease prevention efficacy, meaning that it does not state that the protection against infection fades to a similar degree.
Second, although viral load is a common indication for the presence of the virus, the correlation between viral load and infectivity is not fully established.
Third, differences in public behavior may affect the timing at which people are tested, and because viral load is associated with post-infection time, such differences may skew the study results.
The researchers plan to continue to monitor real-world data and conduct follow-up studies in different populations.
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