People Vaccinated with Sinovac Advised to Get a Booster Shot after 6 Months

BEIJING: In a gloomy development in China, a recent study revealed that antibody levels fade away around six months after getting a double dose of the Chinese anti-Covid Sinovac vaccine.

Reports in international media quoting sources said the antibodies generated by Sinovac plunged below a key threshold, however; a third shot [booster shot] help to generate the antibodies.

The study conducted at the disease control authorities in Jiangsu province, Sinovac, and other Chinese institutions showed that the booster shot, inoculated at an interval of around six months after the second dose, led to a strong boost in the immune response.

At least 16.9 percent of individuals who received two doses of the Chinese vaccine two weeks apart, and 35.2 percent of those who had both jabs four weeks apart, still had antibodies above the neutralizing threshold six months after that second vaccine.

The research conducted by Chinese officials is based on blood samples taken from healthy adults aged between 18-59 however the results have not been peer-reviewed.

The results of the crucial study were based on data from two groups involving more than 50 participants each, while the study gave third doses to a total of around 540 participants. It showed that participants in some cohorts when received the third dose [around six months after the second dose], neutralizing antibody levels after a further 28 days had increased around 3-5 fold from the levels seen four weeks after the second dose, the study showed.

Meanwhile, researchers mentioned that the study did not test the antibodies’ effect against more contagious variants of the deadly virus, and it needs advanced research to assess antibody duration.

Furthermore, Sinovac also shared another study on its vaccine’s safety based on the administration of 7.12 million doses of vaccine [administered between November 2020 – June 2021].

It showed that around 623 recipients of the vaccine reported negative symptoms, resulting in a rate of 87.5 events per 1 million doses. Among the 623 adverse events, 544 were confirmed as common minor vaccine reactions while only 0.7 percent faced severe reactions of the covid jab.

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The concern about the Chinese vaccine is not the first time as earlier it was revealed that more than 350 medical professionals have contracted Covid in Indonesia despite being immunized with Sinovac.

Earlier in March this year, the top British genome expert revealed that regular booster vaccines against the novel disease will be needed in near future in wake of the mutations that make the virus more transmissible. Covid pandemic, which has killed millions since it emerged in late 2019, mutates and requires tweaks to vaccines. Many medical experts believe that booster doses are the future as immunity to Covid ‘doesn’t last forever.’