"Vaccines Remain the Only Hope"... Effective Against COVID-19 Variants [Reading Science]

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As the world is tense over the emergence of the 13th variant of the COVID-19 virus, 'Omicron,' research results have been announced showing that existing vaccines continue to provide immune protection against variants and are particularly effective in preventing severe cases by activating immune cells.

According to the international academic journal Science on the 6th, a research team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA, recently investigated the responses of B and T immune cells to variant viruses in people vaccinated with messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines and reached this conclusion.

The research team conducted a long-term comparative study over six months on vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The results confirmed that immune cells in vaccinated individuals remember the COVID-19 virus and automatically exhibit immune responses such as antibody production upon re-exposure to variants like Alpha, Beta, and Delta. In particular, T cells possess strong immune memory, playing a role in preventing symptom worsening and hospitalization.

These research findings came amid ongoing questions about whether continuous immunity is provided, as powerful variants have emerged and breakthrough infections have increased, despite COVID-19 vaccines showing high preventive effects against infection and progression to severe disease.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The research team profiled antigen-specific antibodies and memory responses of B and T cells continuously over six months in 61 individuals vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. The results confirmed that although antibody levels gradually decreased, the mRNA vaccines provided most vaccinated individuals with a higher level of resistance to the COVID-19 virus compared to unvaccinated individuals over six months. Additionally, vaccinated individuals' major immune cells, B and T cells, retained memory of COVID-19 variants, enabling rapid antibody production upon re-invasion. Notably, B cells with memory of COVID-19 continued to increase between three and six months post-vaccination.

The research team explained, "These results suggest that various types of immune memory generated after COVID-19 vaccination maintain immunity continuously despite the decline in antibodies," adding, "Immune memories remained vigilant against the invasion of COVID-19 variants and responded quickly upon re-exposure." They further stated, "Such sustained immune cell memory can protect vaccinated individuals from severe disease," and added, "Based on booster shot data, similar immune effects can be expected."