Initial results from a new Canadian study are reinforcing the importance of getting that second COVID-19 vaccine shot — particularly if the first do

Canadian study finds mRNA vaccines produce more COVID-19 antibodies than AstraZeneca

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2021-06-24 04:00:05

Initial results from a new Canadian study are reinforcing the importance of getting that second COVID-19 vaccine shot — particularly if the first dose was AstraZeneca.

The study, which was supported by the federal government, found a single dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine produced short-term antibody levels more than one-and-a-half times greater than those produced by one dose of AstraZeneca.

“We are certainly trying to encourage individuals, particularly if they’ve gotten the AstraZeneca vaccine, to get that second dose,” said Dr. Philip Awadalla, the national scientific director of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath), which conducted the study.

The early results come from over 5,600 dried blood spot samples collected from CanPath’s volunteer pool of more than 330,000 Canadian adults between early February and mid-May. Participants also filled out an online questionnaire answering when they were vaccinated and with what type of shot.

So far, the results have shown that about 10 per cent of those vaccinated with one dose of either Pfizer or Moderna — both mRNA shots — did not develop antibody levels against COVID-19 that were any higher from the unvaccinated population.

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