COVID-19: 96% Britons developed antibodies after just one shot of vaccine, finds study

A recent study conducted by University College London revealed that more than 90 per cent of Britons produced antibodies to COVID-19 after having one dose of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine. The study was based on 8,517 people in England and Wales and it found that 96.42 per cent of people, who had either vaccine, had developed antibodies 28 to 34 days after their first dose. The researchers also found that the number rose to 99.08 per cent within seven to 14 days of the second jab. 

Dr Maddie Shrotri, the lead author of the paper, said, “This is one of the earliest real-world vaccine studies in the UK and it is fantastic news”. 

Shrotri added, “Over nine out of 10 adults in the UK who had either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine produced antibodies against the virus within a month of their first shot. How well these vaccines work is remarkable, especially given the speed at which they’ve been developed. It’s a real feat of science in the face of the most devastating pandemic in a century”. 

As per the study, none of the participants had antibodies prior to the first dose of the vaccine. It found that antibody rates initially increase quicker among those who have had the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than those with the Oxford/AstraZeneca. But after one month the recipients showed almost identical antibody positivity rates, the researchers said. 

Importance of getting second dose 

Further, the researchers found that one dose of the vaccines stimulated the production of fewer antibodies in older people, however, that changed after the second dose with all ages achieving high antibody levels. The health experts also added that antibody level after one jab is weaker in people with some underlying health conditions, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes and also those taking immune system suppressing medication. But this disappeared once all participants had their second vaccine. 

UCL Virus Watch project team said that their study is a timely reminder about the importance of getting the second dose of the vaccine. The co-authors of the study said that their findings show that everyone should have both doses of their vaccine so that they can be considered “safe”. It is worth mentioning that the research is still being prepared for peer review and it was funded by the NHS’s research arm, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and the government’s UK Research and Innovation agency.

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