Drop in COVID antibodies within four months of vaccination: Indian study

BHUBANESWAR, Sept 14 (Reuters)- A study of 614 fully vaccinated health workers in India found a “significant” drop in their COVID-fighting antibodies within four months of the first shot.

The findings could help the Indian government decide whether to provide booster doses as some Western countries have done.

Waning antibodies do not necessarily mean that immunised people lose their ability to counter the disease, as the body’s memory cells may still kick in to offer substantial protection, said the director of a state-run institute that did the study.

“After six months, we should be able to tell you more clearly whether and when a booster would be needed,” Sanghamitra Pati of the Regional Medical Research Centre, based in the eastern city of Bhubaneswar, told Reuters on Tuesday.

“And we would urge similar studies in different areas for pan-India data.”

British researchers said last month that protection offered by two doses of the Pfizer /BioNTech and the AstraZeneca  vaccines begins to fade within six months.