Full Vaccination Against COVID Means 3 Shots, According to Research
Monday, December 13, 2021
Why are so many "fully" vaccinated Rhode Islanders getting sick and dying?
Because for many they are no longer truly fully protected because their vaccine protection has wained and this issue is going to be even more critical in the next weeks week.
The COVID Omicron variant has been officially identified in Rhode Island as well as in 23 other states and 66 countries around the world. It’s a good time to assess the newest results with vaccines to make sure everyone has all the latest information to be as protected as possible against this latest variant.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe preponderance of evidence from multiple clinical and other research studies is clear: full vaccination means 3 shots.
If you haven’t yet received a vaccine booster shot, and if it’s been more than 6 months since a Pfizer or Moderna vaccination (or 2 months since a Johnson & Johnson vaccination), you are not protected against the Omicron variant and are at risk.
The COVID vaccines are a marvel of modern science. It is miraculous both that they were developed so quickly, and that the first ones work as well as they do. However, they are not perfect, are not an impenetrable magic shield against the virus, and are subject to the same limitations and laws of biology as most vaccines.
The COVID vaccines, like most vaccines, need periodic boosters for two key reasons.
Vaccine protection declines over time
One key action of vaccines is to stimulate the body to produce antibodies against the COVID virus. Antibodies bind to and neutralize the virus to reduce the risk of infection and the severity of illness if you get infected. Our bodies do not continuously maintain the high level of antibodies seen immediately after vaccination. Antibody levels decline over time, with all vaccines. As the levels go down, so does effectiveness in protecting against infection.
Multiple clinical studies and experiences in countries around the world have shown that sometime after about 6 months, the level of antibodies from the COVID vaccines declines to the point of being too low to provide significant protection to prevent infection in many people, though defense from severe illness and death persists for a longer time.
Experiences have shown that infection rates start to increase again beyond 6 months, and are significantly reduced with a third dose because additional doses of vaccine can restore antibody levels. Israel successfully used COVID vaccine booster shots to dramatically decrease the rate of Delta breakthrough infections.
New variants are becoming more resistant
Another reason for needing booster shots is because the COVID virus continues to evolve to achieve greater immune escape, resistance to the antibodies generated by vaccines and our bodies from natural infection. It took a higher level of antibodies to neutralize the Alpha and Beta variants than the original wild-type Wuhan COVID virus, and a still higher antibody level to work against the Delta variant.
It takes yet a still higher level of antibodies to neutralize the Omicron variant than it does Delta. Laboratory tests have assessed the ability of antibodies in the blood taken from vaccinated individuals to neutralize the Omicron variant. Work by Pfizer showed that people who received two doses of their vaccine had a 25-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies against Omicron. In comparison, this is a much greater degree of immune escape than was seen with either the Delta variant that had a 5-fold decrease, or the Beta variant with an 8-fold decrease.
A similar study by the Africa Health Research Institute analyzed blood samples from individuals who had 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and found a 41-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant.
Booster shots restore protection against infection
The good news is that studies have shown a third vaccine dose can increase antibody concentrations back to a level that can neutralize the Omicron variant. A study just reported in the U.K. showed that a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine can restore protection against infection by Omicron to 75%. This is a significant level of protection and is expected to be even higher against hospitalization and death, but is less than the 93% shown with a third dose against the Delta variant. This reflects the reality of Omicron having greater immune escape than Delta.
A study just announced from Israel showed that people who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine has no neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant after 6 months, though still retained some protection against Delta.
“There was no neutralization ability whatsoever [after two doses], and that is very worrisome,” said Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, Director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit at Sheba Medical Center.
Antibodies are like a ‘wall’ built to prevent the virus from invading our bodies. The way human biology works, the wall starts eroding soon after it is built with vaccination, and needs to be topped off periodically.
In addition, the continued mutations of the coronavirus and the development of new variants require higher walls – higher levels of antibodies – to prevent infection. The only way to compensate for both the natural decline of antibody levels in the bodies, and the higher concentrations needed to neutralize variants with increasing vaccine resistance, is with vaccine booster shots.
Full vaccination means three shots
It’s clear that two COVID vaccine doses do not provide lasting protection, especially against the Delta variant. The third dose of a COVID vaccine is not really a ‘booster’ dose because these vaccines should always have been thought of as needing at least 3 doses.
"We should think of the COVID-19 vaccine as a three-dose vaccine," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor Medical College.
"I don't think anybody would argue that optimal protection is going to be with a third shot. My own personal opinion is that it is going to be a matter of when, not if”, Said Dr. Anthony Fauci, senior COVID advisor to President Biden.
Continued protection against the Omicron variant, and likely the other variants yet to come, will almost certainly require additional vaccine doses in the future. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, said a fourth vaccine dose was planned after a year to continue protection against the Delta variant, and maybe needed sooner with the Omicron variant.
“Two doses are not effective enough,” said Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of Israel’s Public Health Service.
To date, the U.S. FDA and CDC have moved more slowly with vaccination policies than some other countries. The CDC has said that those who are immunocompromised can get a fourth vaccine dose 6 months after their third dose. As happened with third doses, it would not be surprising to see recommendations for fourth doses expanded to more people as time goes on.
Just as most people seek influenza vaccines annually, we need to get used to the idea of regular COVID booster shots, as well as masking and other safety precautions, if we want to remain protected against a far worse possibility than the flu.
Most Rhode Islanders are not protected
The Rhode Island Department of Health represents that 75.7% of Rhode Islanders are fully vaccinated, and 86.6% of adults. Given the well-documented waning effectiveness of the vaccines over time and need for booster shots, and the arrival of the Omicron variant, a more important question is, how many Rhode Islanders are really fully protected?
Those who have either received their initial vaccination or a booster shot within the past six months are the ones protected. If more than six months have passed since the initial vaccination and a person has not received a booster shot, the data show they are not fully protected.
To date, 223,210 vaccine booster doses have been administered in Rhode Island. Furthermore, since June 9, 2021, 171,906 people have received both of their initial vaccine shots. Thus, it seems that only 395,116 Rhode Islanders are actually benefiting from full vaccine protection.
This represents about 37% of the population, far from the 76% represented by Rhode Island.
Considering the many thousands who have not received any COVID vaccination at all, means there are more than 660,000 Rhode Islanders who are currently either not fully or not at all protected against COVID – and at great risk from the Omicron variant.
About 365,000 Rhode Islanders were fully vaccinated over 6 months ago and are eligible for booster shots but have not yet received them – more than one-third of the state’s entire population. If you are one of them, unless your doctor advises you for some reason to not get a booster shot, you may want to not walk but run to get one as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will likely be facing the Omicron variant without protection.
“If you're not going to get vaccinated for yourself, please get vaccinated for your loved ones and for the community because this is a very challenging situation,” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
Related Articles
- Pfizer Vaccine Safe and Effective in Children Ages 5 to 11, Announces Company
- 15 Fully Vaccinated Rhode Islanders Have Died of COVID and Another 20 Died With Virus
- Proof of Vaccination for Fundraisers? Some RI Candidates Are Requiring - And One Refuses to Comment
- McKee Backs Off October 1 Deadline for RI Healthcare Workers’ Vaccinations, Draws Criticism
- 36% of COVID Infections in Rhode Island Are Now In Vaccinated People
- Biden’s Decision to Expand Vaccine Mandates Will Help Us Beat Back COVID Surge - Horowitz
- RI State Rep Says Calling For Lifting Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers “Mistake”
- RI Home Care Providers See “Mass Discharge” of Patients by October 1 Due to Vaccination Requirement
- Biden Needs to Follow the Science, Not Politics, on COVID Vaccine Booster Shots - Nick Landekic
- COVID Mu Variant Hits Rhode Island—It May Be Resistant to Existing Vaccines
- Dozens of Legislators Call for McKee to Lift Vaccination Mandate for Healthcare Workers
- McKee Outlines COVID Vaccination Plan for Children Aged 5-11 Once Authorization Announced
- Enlist More Religious Leaders as Persuaders on Vaccinations - Horowitz
- COVID Infection Risk is Soaring in Rhode Island – Why Vaccine Booster Shots Are Critical
- GOP Blasts McKee for Paying State Workers to Get Vaccinated
- One RI City Has Given Away Hundreds of Used Chromebooks for Free — To People Who Get Vaccinated
- NYC Mayor de Blasio Announces Private Sector Employee Vaccine Mandate
- RI Daily COVID Update Monday - Large Events, Vaccination Boosters
- Disney Requiring Children 5 and Up to Be Vaccinated for Cruises, RI Not Moving Forward for Schools
- “Vaccination Is the Pathway Out of Masking in Schools” - Says Top RI Doctor
- 42% of COVID Infections in RI Are in the Vaccinated – Ten Deaths Reported in Past 3 Days
- Matt Brown Criticizes McKee for Refusal to Enforce Vaccine Requirements for Healthcare Workers
- RI Begins Vaccination of 5-11-Year-Olds
- Considering a Vaccine Surcharge? There’s a Lot to Consider
- Full Vaccination Against COVID Means 3 Shots, According to Research
