A study published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International found that individuals who received two or three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had significantly higher concentrations of antibodies and generally tolerated the vaccine well. The research, which was conducted on a large group of healthcare workers, supports previous findings that hesitation to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is often driven by concerns about side effects and a perception that the vaccine is not effective.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the known benefits of getting vaccinated, the vaccination rate in Germany is relatively low. While the vaccination rate is higher among healthcare workers, a significant proportion of them is still unvaccinated. The reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are varied, with potential side effects being a common concern. This study aimed to determine the types of side effects that occurred and whether their presence was related to antibody concentrations in a large group of healthcare workers.
Scientists' Analysis
The researchers analyzed the concentration of SARS-CoV spike antibodies in healthcare workers at Ulm University Hospital at various time points after receiving their second and third vaccinations. They used the Elecsys-Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test to quantitatively measure the levels of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain and nucleocapsid antibodies. The occurrence of vaccine reactions was recorded using a standardized questionnaire, and the statistical analysis used the Mann-Whitney-U-test. The research was supported by the Ulm ethics committee.
They also investigated the relationship between the presence of side effects and antibody concentrations. It was found that 14 weeks after receiving two doses of the Comirnaty vaccine, or a sequence of the Vaxzevria and Comirnaty vaccines, there were significantly higher antibody levels compared to those who received two doses of the Vaxzevria vaccine. Additionally, individuals under the age of 30 had significantly higher antibody concentrations than older subjects. Most individuals in the study experienced mild to moderate vaccine reactions, with local adverse effects being the most common, followed by systemic reactions such as fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
This study looked at a representative group of healthcare workers in a German university hospital and found that the COVID-19 vaccine was generally well-tolerated and induced a satisfactory immune response in all subgroups. Those who received a heterologous vaccine sequence (Vaxzevria-Comirnaty) had significantly higher antibody levels after their second vaccination compared to those who received a homologous vaccine.
Adverse Effects of COVID-19 Vaccines
The scientists also observed a significant age-dependent difference in the immune response after the second and third vaccinations, with older individuals having lower antibody levels. Additionally, they found that individuals with acute vaccine reactions had significantly higher antibody levels after the second and third vaccinations compared to those without such reactions.
As SciTech Daily reported, while the effectiveness of the vaccine is more complex than just the presence of antibodies and a B-cell response, previous research has shown that higher antibody levels are correlated with a reduced risk of COVID-19 infection for certain non-omicron virus variants. One potential limitation of the study is that recall bias may have affected the reporting of adverse effects at the time of antibody measurement.
Overall, the researchers found that the vaccines used in this study were well-tolerated and induced higher antibody levels, particularly in individuals with acute vaccine reactions. The authors concluded that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 leads to significantly higher antibody concentrations and that the vaccines were generally well-tolerated.
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