Is the 4th vaccine for COVID-19 coming? Is it necessary? Sun Yat-sen University team's new discovery may be able to answer questions
According to the news, Israel has started to provide the fourth booster shot of the vaccine to some people in January. With the repeated outbreak of the domestic epidemic, many people think that the fourth dose of the vaccine booster should be completed, but some people hesitate, wondering if this is necessary? Xiao Jiu will take you to find out.
1. Sun Yat-Sen University Research: Repeated vaccination against COVID-19 may have limited effect
In February, a research team from Sun Yat-Sen University conducted a clinical trial to try to figure out whether continuous and multiple vaccination against COVID-19 could provide the body with higher immune protection.
A total of 38 medical staff (subjects) participated in this clinical research experiment, and the body's immune response after vaccination was continuously observed. The results found:
26 weeks after receiving the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine in 38 subjects, the neutralizing antibody titers against Omicron in the body decreased to 53%.
At time point 1, after the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine, it was found that the peak neutralizing antibody of the receptor binding domain decreased by 18%.
The experimental results show that the immune response after vaccination cannot be improved endlessly, and repeated vaccination against COVID-19 does not always enhance the immune response. The fourth dose of the vaccine did not significantly improve the ability to deal with Omicron, in other words, repeated vaccination may not be an effective strategy against Omicron.
What if the fourth dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine is given?
On April 13, in a study in Israel involving 258,994 volunteers, researchers compared those who had received four doses of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine with those who had received three, with an average age of 72 years.
The study found that within a 7-30 day period after vaccination:
• 55% drop in COVID-19 positivity
• 68% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 infections
• 68% drop in COVID-19 pneumonia-related hospitalizations
• 62% drop in severe COVID-19 pneumonia
• 74% drop in COVID-19 pneumonia-related mortality
The study concluded that older adults were more and more effectively protected after a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
But another Israeli study, released in March, found that the fourth shot (the Pfizer/Modena vaccine) was minimally effective against the COVID-19 virus.
2. Is the fourth dose of COVID-19 necessary?
Except for Israel, South Korea, Singapore and other countries that have come into contact with the fourth booster needle, most countries are still on the sidelines.
Zhang Wenhong also said: The COVID-19 vaccine has significant benefits in reducing severe illness and mortality. In particular, the third dose of the vaccine can increase the antibody level dozens of times, which can reduce the severity of the patient to the greatest extent possible. to the lowest level that we can do.
As for the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine, there is actually no need to hurry. Currently, Singapore, Israel and other countries are deploying the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine. We can use these international vaccination experiences for our use, and then Gradually consider the relevant layout of the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Zheng Zhongwei, director of the Science and Technology Development Center of the National Health and Health Commission, said that China has made positive progress in the research and development of monovalent and multivalent vaccines against Omicron variant strains. The drug regulatory department shall submit relevant clinical trial application materials on a rolling basis.
In addition, Zheng Zhongwei said that the existing vaccines can still control the Omicron variant. In other words, if the public completes the full vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccine, it can still help reduce the risk of hospitalization, severe illness and death caused by the Omicron variant. risk.
We can see that the application of COVID-19 vaccines can protect us before. Vaccines are one of the most important weapons in our fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. It greatly reduces the risk of severe illness and death after infection.
Whether it is necessary to vaccinate the booster every year in the future depends on the changes in the epidemic situation.
3. Is the COVID-19 vaccine booster suitable for everyone?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the National Health Commission stated that the following five groups of people should be vaccinated with caution, or report to a doctor before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and then decide whether to get vaccinated after evaluation.
• Pregnant women
• Patients with impaired pulmonary function system
• People with obvious allergic reactions to drug ingredients
• Immunocompromised populations such as AIDS, malignant tumors and nephrotic syndrome
• Patients with exacerbation of chronic disease, or patients with severe and uncontrolled advanced disease
The COVID-19 virus is still the most threatening coronavirus, and the COVID-19 vaccine is an important weapon in our fight against the new virus.
I believe that with the unremitting efforts of the country and the people, the epidemic will be brought under control soon, and we can also take off our masks and return to normal life.
References:
[1] "Is the fourth dose of COVID-19 necessary? Sun Yat-sen University team's new discovery may answer your questions". Biological Exploration. 2022-03-03
[2] "NEJM: The Fourth mRNA Vaccine Significantly Improves the Prevention of Omicron in the Elderly". Biology World. 2022-05-02
[3] "Zhang Wenhong: Getting closer to the success of the fight against the epidemic! The fourth vaccination will consider the follow-up layout". Medical Forum Network. 2022-03-21
[4] "The fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is coming? 》.Daily Economic News.2022-03-22
[5] "[During epidemic prevention] the fourth vaccine is coming, let's see who can get vaccinated". Dingxi People's Hospital. 2022-05-05
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