(RxWiki News) The protection one of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines provides may decrease after six months, according to a new study.
This study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that the protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may decrease six months after patients receive their second shot.
However, this research found that the vaccine was still strongly protective against serious sickness and hospitalization from COVID-19 after six months.
This study, which looked at more than 45,000 people around the world, found that those who received the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer saw their protection from COVID-19 infection go from 96 percent before six months to 84 percent after six months.
As the Delta variant of COVID-19 surges throughout the United States, health officials and patients have shown concern about the overall effectiveness of the vaccines currently authorized for use in the US. This research suggests that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine may wane over time, but that the vaccine remains largely effective. That appears to be especially true for the prevention of serious illness, hospitalization and death.
In this recent study, very few recipients of the vaccine reported adverse events related to the shots.
Health officials have been weighing the idea of whether to recommend a third booster dose of the two-dose mRNA vaccines. In preliminary data, Pfizer has reported that a third dose appears to spark a strong immune response to COVID-19, including the Delta variant.
On Aug. 13, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for some people who have compromised immune systems.
If you have questions or concerns about your risk for COVID-19 or coronavirus vaccination, reach out to your health care provider.
This study has not yet undergone peer review and is not yet published in a medical journal.
The preprint version of this research notes that Pfizer and BioNTech funded the study. Information on potential conflicts of interest was not available at the time of publication.
