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Updated March 3rd, 2021 at 17:01 IST

Pfizer coronavirus vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity: Research

A new study carried out by Italian researchers has suggested that the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Pfizer
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A new study has suggested that the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity. The study carried out by a group of Italian researchers said that obese healthcare workers who received the coronavirus vaccine were not able to produce as many antibodies as their healthy peers. The researchers said that healthcare workers with obesity produced only about half the amount of antibodies in response to a second dose of the jab. 

While the study still has to be peer-reviewed, the researchers have, however, said that the data might imply that people with obesity need an additional booster dose to ensure they are adequate protected against the virus. They noted that a previous study has suggested that obesity increases the risk of dying by coronavirus by nearly 50 per cent as well as increasing the risk of ending up in the hospital by 113 per cent. They further added that this may be because people with obesity often have other underlying conditions, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes, that increase their risk from the coronavirus. 

READ: US Must Stick To Two-dose Strategy For Pfizer, Moderna Vaccine: Anthony Fauci

READ: Pfizer, Oxford Vaccines Reduce Severe COVID-19 In Elderly, Study Finds

Researchers call for vaccination strategies evaluation 

Aldo Venuti, of the Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri in Rome, assessed the antibody response following two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in 248 healthcare workers. Venuti noted that seven days after receiving the second dose, 99.5 per cent of them had developed an antibody response, and this response was greater than that recorded in people who had recovered from the virus. Venuti said that since obesity is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality for patients with coronavirus, it is mandatory to plan an efficient vaccination programme in this subgroup. 

In the study, Venuti wrote, “Although further studies are needed, this data may have important implications to the development of vaccination strategies for Covid-19, particularly in obese people. If our data was to be confirmed by larger studies, giving obese people an extra dose of the vaccine or a higher dose could be options to be evaluated in this population”. 

Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London, also said that the researchers always knew that BMI was an enormous predictor of poor immune response to vaccines, so this paper is “definitely interesting”. He added that the research confirms that having a vaccinated population isn’t synonymous with having an immune population, especially in a country with high obesity, and emphasises the vital need for long-term immune monitoring programmes. 

READ: Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine Shipment Arrives In HKG

READ: COVID-19: Pfizer Vaccine 94% Effective, Mass 'Real World' Study Confirms
 

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Published March 3rd, 2021 at 17:01 IST

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