Sinovac booster jab reverses antibody drop from Delta variant, study finds
pharmafile | September 6, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |
Researchers have found that a booster shot of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine reverses a decline in antibody activities against the Delta variant.
Neutralising antibody activities against Delta were not detected in samples taken from vaccine recipients six months after they received the second dose of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine, according to the study published on Sunday before a peer review.
However, recipients of booster shots showed over 2.5-fold higher neutralising potency against Delta about four weeks after the third dose, compared with the level seen about four weeks after the second shot.
The lab study used samples from 66 participants, including 38 volunteers, who received either two or three doses of the Sinovac vaccine.
The study comes at a key time for Sinovac, as many have questioned the vaccine’s effectiveness against the Delta variant, which has swiftly become the dominant variant globally and is driving a surge in new infections.
The WHO has announced plans to ship around 100 million doses of the Sinovac and Sinopharm COVID-19 shots by the end of this month, mostly to Africa and Asia, in its first delivery of Chinese vaccines.
However, there are some countries that have rejected the Sinovac vaccine amid concerns over the lack of data on its efficacy rates.
Around 1.8 billion doses of the Sinovac vaccine have been supplied globally, including China, by end August, according to the company.
The report from the study did not mention how effective the booster shot would be in preventing serious illness from COVID-19 or how specifically changes in antibody activity would impact this.
Kat Jenkins
