The results of a new study suggest that people who have recovered from coronavirus may need only one dose of vaccine to develop the same degree of immunity as those receiving two doses.
Like The New York Times reports, Florian Krammer, author of the study and virologist at the Icahn School of Medicine in Mount Sinai, said he believed that a single blow would be enough for people who have already contracted and recovered from COVID-19.
This would also relieve people of unnecessary pain when receiving the second dose, and would release additional doses of the vaccine, Krammer said.
Krammer’s study found that coronavirus survivors had much higher levels of antibodies after receiving two doses of the vaccine compared to those who did not get COVID-19. The study of 231 vaccinated people included 83 who contracted the virus.
The study also found that people who previously had coronavirus were more prone to unpleasant symptoms, such as headaches, muscle aches and chills, after receiving the first dose of vaccine.
Although some scientists agree with Krammer’s statement, others are not convinced, the Times notes.
The director of the Institute of Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, E. John Wherry, told the newspaper that he would like to see data suggesting that the antibodies observed in the study actually prevented the reproduction of the coronavirus.
“Just because an antibody binds to part of the virus doesn’t mean it will protect you from being infected,” Wherry said.
Some health officials have argued that the US should give priority to receiving the vaccine in as many arms as possible.
But Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciBloomberg: More Americans received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine than Biden officials tested positive for the two-dose strategy amid fears of variants., the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said receiving a second dose should be a priority.
“The first priority will always be to get people who received the first dose to receive the second dose,” Fauci said.
The Biden administration argued that two doses of vaccine should be given, although it also urged healthcare providers not to be too careful, keeping the second dose of vaccine in reserve.