A new survey reveals Covid-19 antibody levels in people over 80 have gone down.
Office of National Statistics (ONS) studies revealed up to the week beginning August 9, antibody levels in the over 80s fell slightly from over 87% to 85%.
But all other age groups in Scotland have shown increased positive levels of antibodies:
- The majority of age groups show levels above 90%.
- The Scottish average is 93.6% overall.
- The 16 -24 age group is also up this month to 85.6%.
As the much-awaited plans for the Covid-19 booster vaccination scheme are finalised, what does this tell us about the level of protection for our elderly?
A number of studies, including the ONS one, are monitoring antibody response and changes over time to further understanding of Covid-19 and effectiveness of the vaccines.
What level of antibodies do we need?
Experts are not sure yet. It’s still not known what level of antibodies are needed to make sure you are protected from infection.
For anyone worried about the protection from the vaccine – it should be remembered it is complex and doesn’t just rely on antibody levels.
This week Prof Neil Mabbot, who is a professor of immunopathy at the University of Edinburgh, talked to us about vaccinations and blood clots.
He explained: “At the moment we don’t know what the marker in our blood is that we can simply test to say what level of protection we have.”
Is a decline in antibodies normal after a vaccine?
Yes – as Dr Mabbot explained: “There have been comments about immunity waning over time. But we’d expect that after vaccination.
“Antibody levels and T-cell levels will start to decline after vaccination.
“It varies depending on the type of vaccine and the disease you’re trying to protect against.
“But they are still holding up pretty well even after several months now in many of those individuals.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “There is good evidence both doses of any UK Covid-19 vaccine will provide good protection against serious illness for at least six months. And there is some evidence of longer lasting protection.”
When are we getting news of boosters?
The plan is to give boosters to adults over 70, shielders over 16, care homes and frontline health and social care workers from September.
This may be done in conjunction with flu vaccines, with those eligible for both getting them at the same appointment.
A start date has yet to be set. A Scottish Government spokesperson added: “We are currently planning for the booster programme using the interim advice from the JCVI.
“These plans will be updated once we have final advice from this independent clinical group.”
