We can’t predict how long COVID vaccines last. We have to wait while we go through life’s rough and tumble. And then find out based on the empirical facts we can see before our eyes. Emory University School of Medicine scientists in Decatur, Georgia tested thirty-three people six months after they had the Moderna vaccine. Their defenses were still detectable. Does this mean Moderna antibodies last at least six months?
How Moderna Antibodies Last at Least Six Months
The thirty-three people are too small a group to represent the human population. However, the researchers obtained the antibodies from people with a representative age spread. And they all had their second Moderna shot exactly 180 days before they did the test.
The antibody activity was still present in all age groups on Day 209. This margin of safety enabled them to say Moderna antibodies lasted at least six months in that particular group.
Then they worked backwards in terms of individual readings to determine the Moderna half-life was 52 days, again in their sample. This is the theoretical point at which the original concentration of antibodies had fallen to half since their second shot.
A Quick Recap How the Moderna Vaccine Works
COVID vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus without us having to get the illness. They may work differently, but they all leave specific memory resources behind, that help us fight an actual infection.
Centers for Disease Control explains Moderna is an m-RNA type vaccine. Therefore it contains an aspect of the virus that tells our systems how to make antibodies. And then it destroys the virus-related material once its job is done.
However, the bottom line is this bonanza cannot last forever. After – let’s say 200 days to choose a number – its ‘petrol’ runs dry and it needs a top up. Getting vaccinated is therefore currently only a temporary strategy. But we’ll need it until we starve the virus of new infections.
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Preview Image: Container with Moderna Vaccine Boxes
