COVID-19: Long-term immunity provided by mRNA vaccines

Researchers have found that vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will trigger a sustained immune response in the body, and thus could protect against COVID-19 for years.

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So people who have been vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine may not need boosters after receiving two injections, as long as the virus and its variants do not outgrow their current forms, according to the study published in the American journal Nature.

Vaccines that rely on mRNA create a more “steady” response to B cells in the germinal center, which essentially means that a person’s immune response will be much stronger and last longer.

“Berminal centers are key to a protective and sustained immune response,” said Dr. Ali Al-Libidi, the study’s lead author.

Dr. Ellipedi and colleagues reported last month that in people who have survived COVID-19, immune cells that recognize the virus remain at rest in the bone marrow for at least eight months after infection. A study by another team indicated that B cells continue to mature and grow stronger for at least a year after infection.

Based on these findings, the researchers suggested that immunity could last for years, if not a lifetime, in people who have coronavirus and are subsequently vaccinated. However, whether vaccination alone can have a similar long-term effect has not been proven, particularly by the New York Times.

Study results suggest that the vast majority of vaccinated people will be protected in the long term, but older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those taking immunosuppressive medications may need.