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ARCHIVED - Experts argue over the need for a third Covid vaccine
Opinions are divided about the necessity of administering a booster dose of the coronavirus jab
Less than a week after Spain climbed down off the fence and agreed to begin supplying third doses of the coronavirus vaccine to people with compromised immune systems, yet another row has broken out between Covid experts on the need for a booster, with virologist Muge Cevik from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland arguing that the current vaccine does exactly what it is supposed to.
Cevik has insisted that we need to be much more realistic about what we expect from the vaccines and that the immune response of the body is supposed to decrease over time while the quality of antibodies improves, offering better natural protection in the long run. The current vaccines are protecting against death and serious Covid cases overall, he said, which is precisely what they were designed to do.
In Spain and many other countries, the vaccines do appear to be losing their efficacy over time, but many of the newly diagnosed are asymptomatic and hospitalisations and fatalities are decreasing. Nevertheless, it is this decline which other experts argue is the reason for offering a booster jab, particularly for those with compromised immune systems who may not respond correctly to the first two doses.
The major concern, of course, is the Delta variant, which many fear is not as effectively curbed by the vaccine. However, the WHO has cautioned that countries should hold off on administering a third dose wherever possible at least until the end of the year, to give poorer countries a chance to vaccinate their populations.
According to Estanislao Nistal, professor of Immunology at CEU San Pablo University in Madrid, our bodies are capable of providing ample protection against new coronavirus mutations, a fact which is backed up by studies from Pfizer and Moderna showing that the double-dose vaccine has an efficacy rate of 80% against the Delta variant.
So the debate continues as to whether a third dose is required or whether it’s a bit of an overreaction at this early stage, and the real problem lies in the fact that researchers simply don’t know how many antibodies are needed to prevent infection.
‘The reality is that there is no standardised test in which both variables can be compared, so it is difficult to draw conclusions that serve in the context of a global pandemic,’ according to Prof. Nistal.
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