New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine quantifies the antibody response generated by the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines. The findings are some of the earliest to compare the two vaccines’ antibody responses head-to-head. The notable finding was that antibody levels in recipients of the Moderna vaccine were slightly higher than in recipients of Pfizer.
The researchers caution against drawing conclusions about the vaccines’ effectiveness based on the antibody numbers. Both vaccines, they say, have performed exceptionally after having been given to millions of people around the world. The new results are just a small piece in a much larger puzzle as scientists seek to determine if one vaccine may be superior for certain demographics.
“The thing that will be interesting is figuring out if measuring antibody levels ends up being a good marker of vaccine protection,” UVA immunologist Dr. Jeffrey Wilson said. “At the moment, we don’t know for sure.”
The UVA study offers insights into vaccine recipients’ immune response by age.
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