Strong Decay of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Antibodies after 2 BNT162b2 Vaccine Doses and High Antibody Response to a Third Dose in Nursing Home Residents.
Hubert Blain, Edouard Tuaillon, Lucie Gamon and 3 others
PMID 35311651WHAT IT FOUND
Six months after the second BNT162b2 dose, 88.8% of nursing home residents without prior infection had low spike antibody levels.
A third dose raised spike antibodies to a high level in 88.4% of that group and 97.5% of those with prior infection.
Key findings
01Among residents with prior infection, median RBD-IgG decreased by 82% between the first and second measures, from 4318 to 773 BAU, and high responses decreased from 88.5% to 54.9%.
02Among residents without prior infection, median RBD-IgG decreased by 89% between the first and second measures, from 348 to 35 BAU, and high responses decreased from 29.4% to 1.7%.
03After the third dose, high RBD-IgG was found in 97.5% of residents with prior infection and 88.4% of residents without prior infection.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was described as preliminary and had a relatively small sample from 15 nursing homes, so it may not represent all nursing home residents. It measured antibody levels, not clinical disease or protection against infection. No neutralization assays or T-cell immunity were assessed. Clinical severity of prior infection was not analysed. The study did not assess protection against Omicron or other variants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high antibody levels after the third dose as proof that the booster prevents COVID-19 infection or severe disease in nursing home residents. The study measured antibody levels, not clinical protection, and did not test neutralization or variants.