Nursing home residents & care workers lose significant immunity 6 months after receiving Pfizer vaccine, CWRU study shows

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - It may be time for a booster shot sooner than you think as the fight to eradicate COVID-19 continues and the delta variant continues to send people across the country to hospitals.

Case Western Reserve University led a mulit-university study that found a significant decrease in COVID-19 antibodies just six months after those in the study had received the second dose of their Pfizer vaccine.

Dr. David Canaday, a professor at the university’s school of medicine, studied nursing home residents who had a median age of 76 and their caregivers who had a median age of 48.

The study found that antibody levels, across the board, had decreased more than 80% in six months after the shot.

“People should not be in a panic and think, ‘Oh my immunity has completely gone away,’ because that does not appear to be the case,” Canady said.

Canaday was among the group who presented the results to the senior staff at the Centers for Disease Control so the data could be considered as part of the decision-making process regarding a potential COVID-19 booster shot.

The CDC has recommended a booster after eight months, but that has not yet been authorized by the FDA.

Canaday believes the CWRU study supports the CDC’s recommendation.

“People should not run out immediately, normal people should not run out and get a booster,” he said. “Lets wait for the policy recommendations.”

Case conducted the study in partnership with Brown University.

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