A “vaccine ceiling” could also be approaching for some individuals who have already received three doses, based on latest research, suggesting it might not be vital to maintain getting jabbed against Covid-19 on a rolling basis.
Health officials are currently assessing whether to broaden out the UK’s current booster programme beyond over-75s, care home residents and people with weakened immune systems.
But a latest study led by academics on the University of Southampton suggests there’s a “hint” that some people may need already reached a “ceiling” by way of the quantity of protection that they might acquire from a fourth jab.
Professor Saul Faust, the leading scientist of the CovBoost trial, said this might be depending on the kind of vaccines that a person has already received, prior dosage volumes, and immunity levels built up through vaccination and natural infection.
His study, which assessed the protection levels of greater than 150 people before and after vaccination, found that some individuals with high antibody and T-cell counts “had limited boosting from the fourth dose, indicating that there may very well be a vaccine-specific ceiling effect.”
Some 166 people took part within the study and offered blood samples, which were examined for antibody levels.
These were assessed at various time points, including 28 days after the third jab was given; again just before their fourth boost was administered – which took place, on average, just over 200 days later; after which 14 days after they’d their fourth jab.
For many trial participants, their antibody count waned within the period between a 3rd and fourth dose. But a fortnight after the booster jab, these levels rose to latest heights, or “over and above” what had previously been recorded, said Paul Faust.
Some participants had 12 to 16 times higher levels of antibodies within the blood a fortnight after they got their fourth shot, compared with the day it was delivered.
Boosts were also seen of their T-cell levels, based on the study, which has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Nonetheless, the study added, “some participants … maintained high levels of humoral and cellular responses even before the fourth dose and had limited boosting from the fourth dose.”
Prof Faust said: “There’s a touch from among the people within the trial and among the people within the trial who had had Covid … that vaccines might reach a ceiling and that may depend upon the vaccine and the host immunity and the dose, and that’s true for the over-70s and the under-70s.”
A fourth dose may not “boost humoral and cellular responses if the baseline response is high,” the study said.
“These individual data are essential for policy makers as the good thing about a fourth dose may be less in individuals who have already got high levels of immune responses from recent infection or vaccination.”
UK news in pictures
Show all 50
1/50UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
9 May 2022
Linda Bainbridge (left) and Miyuki Griffin putting the ending touches to The Crown, Orb and Sceptre exhibit as a part of A Festival of Flowers’ at Salisbury Cathedral. Lots of of flower arrangers shall be mounting 127 individual exhibits throughout the cathedral in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
PA
UK news in pictures
8 May 2022
Durham Cathedral which stands on The Bailey, a peninsula formed by the River Wear looping across the historic centre of Durham
PA
UK news in pictures
7 May 2022
Girls from Grace and Poise, the world’s first Muslim ballet school, perform throughout the Eid within the Square festival in Trafalgar Square, London
PA
UK news in pictures
6 May 2022
Ballots are emptied from a ballot box to be counted, during local elections, at Wandsworth Town Hall, London
Reuters
UK news in pictures
5 May 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at a polling station along with his dog Dilyn to vote during local elections in Westminster, London
EPA
UK news in pictures
4 May 2022
Rob Munday, creator of the primary officially commissioned 3D/holographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2004, unveils a previously unseen portrait of the monarch to rejoice the Platinum Jubilee, in London. The brand new portrait is called ‘Platinum Queen: Felicity’ and is devoted to the 20 years of friendship between The Queen and her personal assistant and shut friend Miss Angela Kelly
AP
UK news in pictures
3 May 2022
Alex Kelly from Eden Architectural Conservation cleans a gargoyle on the north doorway at Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin, Midlothian, as a part of conservation maintenance
PA
UK news in pictures
2 May 2022
People enjoy theme park rides at a funfair at Small Heath Park in Birmingham, because the holy month of Ramadan involves an end and Muslims rejoice Eid al-Fitr
PA
UK news in pictures
1 May 2022
England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan in motion against England’s Judd Trump during day sixteen of the Betfred World Snooker Championship at The Crucible, Sheffield
PA
UK news in pictures
30 April 2022
Visitors record images amongst azalea and rhododendron blossom in Richmond Park, London
Reuters
UK news in pictures
29 April 2022
A large puppet, controlled by 4 people, called Gnomus, the Caretaker of the Earth, performs at Stonehenge, near Amesbury, Wiltshire
PA
UK news in pictures
28 April 2022
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in a TV studio during a visit to the BBC World Service at BBC Broadcasting House, London, to mark it’s ninetieth yr and to thank staff and learn the way they’re continuing their operations across Ukraine, Russia and Afghanistan
PA
UK news in pictures
27 April 2022
Trafalgar Square in central London is roofed in plants and flowers on the launch of an initiative to rewild and protect 2 million hectares of land. The temporary installation, which is made up of over 6000 plants, flowers, and trees, goals to boost awareness of the importance of biodiversity in urban spaces, with visitors to the location invited to choose up and rehome one among the plants
PA
UK news in pictures
26 April 2022
One in every of the Liverbirds that sits atop of the Royal Liver Constructing in Liverpool, is illuminated just before the sun rises over town
PA
UK news in pictures
25 April 2022
Prime Minister Boris Johnson paints over the white line of the centre circle during a visit to Bury FC at their Gigg Lane ground in Bury, Greater Manchester
Getty
UK news in pictures
24 April 2022
A lone Grenadier Guard throughout the Dawn Service commemorating Anzac Day on the Recent Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, London
PA
UK news in pictures
23 April 2022
Killy Cavendish during St George’s Day celebrations in London’s Trafalgar Square
PA
UK news in pictures
22 April 2022
A demonstrator holds a pink smoke flare billowing over members of Extinction Rebel staging a protest against the usage of and investment in fossil fuel, outside offices of Vanguard Asset Management on Earth Day within the City of London
Reuters
UK news in pictures
21 April 2022
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), the City of London’s Reserve Army Regiment, fire a 62 Gun Royal Salute on the Tower of London to mark the 96th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II
PA
UK news in pictures
20 April 2022
Stella Morris the wife of Julian Assange talks to the media outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, after Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was formally issued with an order for extradition to the US to face espionage charges
PA
UK news in pictures
19 April 2022
Sunrise behind the Bass Rock off the East Lothian coast near North Berwick
PA
UK news in pictures
18 April 2022
Riders dressed as knights participate within the International Jousting Tournament, held on the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, northern England
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures
17 April 2022
Cyclists participate in MacAvalanche, a mass start mountain bike race through the snow, descending over 900m from the summit of Aonach Mor within the Nevis Range near Fort William
PA
UK news in pictures
16 April 2022
Zara Tindall riding Classicals Euro Star takes part within the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials in Norfolk
PA
UK news in pictures
15 April 2022
People on the beach in Bournemouth. Good Friday is about to be the most popular day of the yr to this point, experts have predicted, ahead of “very nice” spring conditions over the Easter weekend
PA
UK news in pictures
14 April 2022
Migrants arrive at Dover port after being picked up within the channel by the border force
Getty
UK news in pictures
13 April 2022
A demonstrator is carried away by police outside the Department for Business in London after protesting against oil and gas production
PA
UK news in pictures
12 April 2022
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (left) arrive for a gathering at Young People’s Futures, a charity investing in the long run of Scotland’s young people, as a part of a campaign visit in Glasgow
PA
UK news in pictures
11 April 2022
Studio supervisor Emma Meehan adds the ultimate touches to a waxwork of US drag queen RuPaul at the disclosing at Madame Tussauds of the newest waxwork in Blackpool
AFP via Getty
UK news in pictures
10 April 2022
People participate in a protest outside Downing Street in London, over transgender people not being included in plans to ban conversion therapy
PA
UK news in pictures
9 April 2022
Eventual winner Noble Yeats ridden by jockey Sam Waley-Cohen take the water-jump throughout the Grand National Steeple Chase on the ultimate day of the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpoo
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures
8 April 2022
Cops work to remove activists from Extinction Rebel who were hanging from suspension cords beside an enormous banner that reads “End fossil fuels now”, as they stage a protest on Tower Bridge, east London, which has been closed to traffic
PA
UK news in pictures
7 April 2022
Lorries queued in Operation Brock on the M20 near Ashford in Kent as freight delays proceed on the Port of Dover, in Kent, where P&O ferry services remain suspended after the corporate sacked 800 staff suddenly
PA
UK news in pictures
6 April 2022
Performer Martti Peltonen stands beneath a chocolate easter egg because it is shattered by a crossbow bolt during a photocall for Circus Vegas in Old Deer Park, Richmond, at the beginning of their first British tour in over 4 years
PA
UK news in pictures
5 April 2022
Recent street art which has appeared in Leith, Edinburgh, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The mural includes a Nightingale, the official national bird of Ukraine, against the country’s flag
PA
UK news in pictures
4 April 2022
Ai-Da, an ultra-realistic robot named after Ada Lovelace, the primary computer programmer, paints a picture during a photocall in London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures
3 April 2022
Cambridge women’s team rejoice after winning the 76th Women’s Boat Race on the River Thames in London
PA
UK news in pictures
2 April 2022
People protest against the rising cost of living outside Downing Street in London
Reuters
UK news in pictures
1 April 2022
Freight and passenger queues waiting to ascertain in on the Port of Dover, Kent, as some ferry services remain suspended on the Port of Dover following P&O Ferries sacking of 800 seafarers suddenly
PA
UK news in pictures
31 March 2022
A soldier of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment falls off a horse during a practice to take part in the state ceremonial surrounding this yr’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Hyde Park in London
AP
UK news in pictures
30 March 2022
Sheep in snow on Shetland
SWNS
UK news in pictures
29 March 2022
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York arrive at a Service of Thanksgiving for the lifetime of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London
PA
UK news in pictures
28 March 2022
Performers including dancers from Ukraine rehearse the finale as Blackpool Tower Circus prepares to reopen following £1 Million renovation
Getty
UK news in pictures
27 March 2022
Re-enactors within the grounds of Bolton Castle near to Leyburn in North Yorkshire, watch as re-enactors bring alive the story of the Battle of Towton, which took place on March twenty ninth, 1461 at a small village near to York called Towton
PA
UK news in pictures
26 March 2022
Early morning swimmers play with a ball in the ocean at Cullercoats Bay on the north east coast of England
PA
UK news in pictures
25 March 2022
A view of lorries queued on the A20 near Dover in Kent as freight delays proceed on the Port of Dover where P&O ferry services remain suspended after the corporate sacked 800 staff suddenly last week
PA
UK news in pictures
24 March 2022
A gaggle of individuals regarded as migrants are are guided up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard the RNLI Lifeboat following a small boat incident within the Channel
PA
UK news in pictures
23 March 2022
John Shipton, father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, walks along with his son’s partner Stella Moris as they leave from Belmarsh Prison in London where Moris was set to marry Julian Assange
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures
22 March 2022
A pedestrian looks at cherry blossom trees in Battersea Park, in London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures
21 March 2022
People walk by daffodils and flowering cherry blossom in War Memorial Park in Coventry
PA
The so-called “vaccine-ceiling effect” must be further explored in latest studies, the scientists behind CovBoost wrote.
Prof Faust said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) was examining his study’s results, together with other research, because it considers whether to broaden out the booster campaign and offer a fourth dose to more of the UK population later within the yr.
As a part of the CovBoost trial, researchers examined data on individuals who had two doses of the AstraZeneca jab, followed by a Pfizer booster, who then received either a Pfizer jab or half dose of a Moderna jab for his or her fourth vaccine.
In addition they checked out individuals who had three doses of Pfizer, followed by a fourth Pfizer shot or a half-dose Moderna jab. No severe side-effects were recorded amongst participants, with some reporting pain or fatigue.
Various groups have been called forward for a spring booster, including people aged 75 and over, care home residents, and people aged 12 and over who’re immunocompromised.
For many this could have been a fourth vaccine dose, but for some with a weakened immune system it’s going to have been their fifth.
Prof Faust, director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, said the outcomes of his study ultimately “underline the advantages of essentially the most vulnerable people receiving current spring boosters and provides confidence for any prospective autumn booster programme within the UK, if the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation considers it needed at the moment.”
