Teacher. Mickienė presented the latest research on vaccine-induced immunity: from two studies, the results are excellent

A. Mickienė stated that the latest scientific research provides many “bright messages.”

“Regarding the duration of immunity after a natural disease, what we have learned in the last 2 months, the risk of developing the disease once in the second half is significantly reduced, by more than 80 percent,” he said A. Mickienė.

However, in the age group over 65, this protection is lower, only around 50 percent.

“What does this mean? We are all aware that sick people should also be vaccinated. But the greatest emphasis and attention should be given to this sensitive group: the older age group. Even if they get sick, vaccination against COVID infection -19 is needed after 6 months, ”said the LSMU professor.

A. Mickienė also presented the latest data on the possibility of infection after vaccination. Studies show that there is a very low chance of reaching the hospital after a full vaccination for this infection.

“There are two things here: the possibility of contracting the infection and having the virus but not having clinical signs of the disease, transmitting to others, we do not have a definitive answer to this day. But we have big, beautiful data that says 77 million people were fully vaccinated in the US Last Friday, there were only 400 people who were hospitalized after a full COVID-19 vaccination. Of those 400, a third had no symptoms of that infection. Only 2/3 of the hospitalized people had symptoms, “said the LSMU professor at a press conference.

Two vaccine companies, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, provided information on post-vaccination immunity. They show that even six months after both doses of this vaccine, they are still effective.

“To date, we have provisional data from the main clinical surveillance studies of two companies, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, analyzed six months after full vaccination. Therefore, even after half a year, after vaccination with these 2 vaccines, vaccines remain extremely effective for more than 90 percent, they protect against the disease itself, as well as against a serious disease, ”said A. Mickienė.

The LSMU professor also presented a study on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents ages 2 to 15 at a press conference.

“This study revealed that the vaccine is very effective, giving 100 percent effectiveness to vaccinated adolescents. And here is the hope that maybe we have a weapon, a tool to protect against that infection and the students before the new school year arrives, ”said the LSMU teacher.

So far, according to A. Mickienė, it is difficult to say when revaccination will be necessary.

“It just came to our attention then. As I mentioned, those published data are half a year after people were vaccinated. And after half a year, the results are very good. Those people will continue to be monitored for 2 years after vaccination, it will take 3 months and we will have the results and we will see what happens to the immune system. And then it will be possible to answer the question about the effects of the booster vaccine. To this day, we know that at half a year, that protection it’s really very good, ”he explained.

The LSMU professor said that after the first dose of the vaccine you can feel safe.

“Yes, it takes time for the immune system to develop antibodies after the first vaccination. During the first two to three weeks, people may not feel safe. That immune protection is not in place yet. However, after this time, it does not depend on the vaccine, but the percentage of protection varies from 80 to 90 percent approximately ”, said the professor.

He said this was the reason to vaccinate with one dose and postpone 2 doses in cases where there is a severe vaccine shortage.

“It is then when the largest possible number of people are vaccinated with a single dose, they have protection for a period of time, which is to prevent the disease from spreading faster in the population. And the second dose is necessary to strengthen that immunity and to make it last much longer, ”Professor A. Mickienė of LSMU said at a press conference.

“We are at a special crossroads”

Delphi recalls that following the meeting of President G. Nausėda and his team with health experts, the adviser to the Head of State, Simonas Krėpšta, stated that we are close to the moment when the vaccination situation will start to improve.

“As for the pandemic, it can be said that it is tense, different when it comes to western and eastern Lithuania. The situation in the Vilnius region is significantly more complicated. (…) We are currently at a special crossroads. close to the time when the situation due to the acceleration of vaccination will start to improve, “said the president’s advisor, S. Krėpšta.

He said we were “close to a breakthrough in handling the pandemic, but until then, quarantine measures and their enforcement are very important.”

“The experience of the United Kingdom, which was presented at this meeting, shows that when a quarter of those vaccinated reach a quarter, the situation begins to improve and both the number of infections and the number of people treated in the hospital begin to descend. And after fifty percent of people vaccinated with the first dose, the situation changes very significantly, which can already be expected in Lithuania in early June or June, ”said S. Krėpšta.