A new study published by the Oregon Health & Science University suggests a link between Covid-19 vaccines' immune response and age, where older people seem to have lesser antibodies to combat the virus, as per a report by The Indian Express.
The study, which was published under the Journal of the American Medical Association, emphasized that while the antibody response diminishes with age, the vaccine is still effective in preventing illness and infection for all age groups.
The study was conducted by measuring the immune response of 50 people two weeks after they received their second dose of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. The participants' blood were grouped by age, then exposed to the original SARS-Cov2-virus and the P.1 (gamma) variant to test the immune response.
It was found that the youngest age group, comprising of people in their 20s, had almost seven times a greater antibody response when compared to participants in the oldest age group, comprising of people between the ages of 70 and 82.
The results highlighted a linear decline in antibody response from youngest to oldest. Senior author of the study Fikadu Tafesse, PhD, said: "Our older population is more susceptible to variants even if they are vaccinated, but the good news is that our vaccines are really strong," reported ANI.
Tafesse also highlighted the need to vaccinate as many people as possible to risk the further spread of the virus as well as infection. "The more people get vaccinated, the less the virus circulates. Older people aren't safe just because they are vaccinated; the people around them really need to be vaccinated as well," he said.
"At the end of the day, this study really means that everybody needs to be vaccinated to protect the community," said Tafesse.
Co-author of the study Marcel Curlin, M.D., added that: "The vaccine still produces strong immune responses compared with natural infection in most older individuals, even if they are lower than their younger counterparts," reported ANI.