With immunisation drives accelerating world-over, questions regarding the extent of its long-term efficacy have started to gain momentum as well. Here’s a short explainer of the same. By Bayar Jain
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After getting shot against Coronavirus, a natural question is bound to arise: how long does one stay protected from COVID-19 vaccines? The answer, unfortunately, is not as clear-cut as one might hope. While the vaccine’s long-term efficacy is still to be understood, various vaccine manufacturers have answered this question with differing durations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it takes up to two weeks for any COVID-19 vaccine’s efficacy to kick in as it takes the body some time to build antibodies and immunity. As a result, it is possible to get infected soon after getting jabbed. Moreover, people who have been completely immunised (that is, gotten both the shots of a two-dose vaccine and completed a two-week waiting period after) could also fall sick. However, the extent of such an illness post-vaccination will be less severe, notes CDC.
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Apart from general findings, vaccine-specific results regarding long-term efficacy also vary. While World Health Organisation says that clinical trials spanning a few months—as is the case currently—is too short a duration to reach a conclusive answer, Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, claims that immunity will likely start fading within a year, reports NBC News. Further, Bourla states that one might need immunity boosters within 12 months of the initial two-dose regime. Moderna-manufactured vaccine, too, claims similar six-month-long efficacy, reports a clinical study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
With regards to Indian vaccines, Financial Express quotes a study by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, which states that the indigenously manufactured Covaxin remains effective for three months. The Serum Institute-manufactured AstraZeneca has issued a press release claiming 76 per cent efficacy post both the doses, while no comment regarding long-term efficacy has been made yet. Oxford Vaccine Group, however, notes that similar vaccines have displayed efficacies lasting for a year or more.
Editor’s Note: Keeping the current situation of the pandemic in mind, T+L India recommends every reader to stay safe, and take all government-regulated precautions in case travel at this time is absolutely necessary. Please follow our stories on #IndiaFightsCorona for all the latest travel guidelines.
Related: COVID-19 Vaccination: Dos And Don’ts
