A new study has found that older people are more susceptible to the different variants of coronavirus as they have fewer antibodies against SARS-COV-2. This includes those who have been vaccinated against the COVID-19, the study conducted by a team of researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) has shown.
“The older population is more susceptible to the variants even if vaccinated,” said senior author Fikadu Tafesse, an assistant professor at OHSU’s School Of Medicine. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The immunological response in the blood of 50 patients was tested two weeks after receiving their second and final dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. The participants were divided into age groups, and their blood serum, which was collected in test tubes, was exposed to both the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the P.1 version, also known as gamma.
The researchers concluded that “the younger a person, the more robust the antibody response” because the youngest group (all participants in their 20s) had a roughly seven-fold higher antibody response than the oldest group (participants between 70 and 82 years old).
Despite the findings, Tafesse and his colleagues noted that Covid-19 vaccinations appear to be beneficial in preventing infection and serious illness in persons of practically all ages. “The good news is that our vaccines are really strong,” he said.
Tafesse went on to say that the study underscores the need of everyone getting vaccinated against Covid-19. “Older people aren’t entirely safe just because they are vaccinated. The people around them really need to be vaccinated as well,” he said.
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