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. 2021 Oct 3;9(10):1125.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines9101125.

Antibody Persistence 6 Months Post-Vaccination with BNT162b2 among Health Care Workers

Flaminia Campo  1 , Aldo Venuti  2 , Fulvia Pimpinelli  3 , Elva Abril  3 , Giovanni Blandino  4 , Laura Conti  5 , Armando De Virgilio  6   7 , Federico De Marco  8 , Vincenzo Di Noia  9 , Enea Gino Di Domenico  3 , Simona Di Martino  10 , Fabrizio Ensoli  3 , Diana Giannarelli  11 , Chiara Mandoj  5 , Francesco Mazzola  1 , Silvia Moretto  1 , Gerardo Petruzzi  1 , Fabrizio Petrone  12 , Barbara Pichi  1 , Martina Pontone  3 , Antonello Vidiri  13 , Branka Vujovic  14 , Giulia Piaggio  15 , Eleonora Sperandio  16 , Valentina Rosati  1 , Francesco Cognetti  9 , Aldo Morrone  17 , Gennaro Ciliberto  18 , Raul Pellini  1
Affiliations

Antibody Persistence 6 Months Post-Vaccination with BNT162b2 among Health Care Workers

Flaminia Campo et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: We present immunogenicity data 6 months after the first dose of BNT162b2 in correlation with age, gender, BMI, comorbidities and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: An immunogenicity evaluation was carried out among health care workers (HCW) vaccinated at the Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri (IFO). All HCW were asked to be vaccine by the national vaccine campaign at the beginning of 2021. Serum samples were collected on day 1 just prior to the first dose of the vaccine and on day 21 just prior to the second vaccination dose. Thereafter sera samples were collected 28, 49, 84 and 168 days after the first dose of BNT162b2. Quantitative measurement of IgG antibodies against S1/S2 antigens of SARS-CoV-2 was performed with a commercial chemiluminescent immunoassay.

Results: Two hundred seventy-four HWCs were analyzed, 175 women (63.9%) and 99 men (36.1%). The maximum antibody geometric mean concentration (AbGMC) was reached at T2 (299.89 AU/mL; 95% CI: 263.53-339.52) with a significant increase compared to baseline (p < 0.0001). Thereafter, a progressive decrease was observed. At T5, a median decrease of 59.6% in COVID-19 negative, and of 67.8% in COVID-19 positive individuals were identified with respect to the highest antibody response. At T1, age and previous COVID-19 were associated with differences in antibody response, while at T2 and T3 differences in immune response were associated with age, gender and previous COVID-19. At T4 and T5, only COVID-19 positive participants demonstrated a greater antibody response, whereas no other variables seemed to influence antibody levels.

Conclusions: Overall our study clearly shows antibody persistence at 6 months, albeit with a certain decline. Thus, the use of this vaccine in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic is supported by our results that in turn open debate about the need for further boosts.

Keywords: BNT162b2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antibody response; mRNA vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time course of antibody response after vaccination by gender, age, BMI and previous COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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