At least 14 days are required before the antibody level can be measured
What if antibodies do not form after 2 doses of vaccine?
The development time of immunoglobulin G-type protective antibodies in a viral disease is considered to be a minimum of 14 days. Stating that it is natural not to detect an increase in the antibody level in the case of a blood test the day after vaccination, experts state that this result does not mean that the vaccine is not protective. Experts point out that the process of antibody formation in the body can take up to 3 weeks, 1 month, and in some cases up to 6 weeks, and emphasizes that if antibodies are not formed after 2 doses of vaccine, the person should continue protective measures.
Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Brain Hospital Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Specialist Dr. Songül Özer shared important information about the antibody formation process after vaccination.
At least 14 days are needed for antibodies to form
Dr. Songül Özer said, “Although we state that the information about the coronavirus is limited, we can evaluate the antibody test process with the information generated in other general virus infections” and continued her words as follows:
“The development time of immunoglobulin G-type protective antibodies in a viral disease is a minimum of 14 days. In fact, we do not expect the antibody level in the blood or serum to increase until 14 days have passed after the second vaccination. It is perfectly normal to have a blood test the next day after vaccination and to see if the antibody has risen. This result does not mean that the vaccine does not protect. Indicates that antibodies have not yet formed or have not yet reached a detectable level in the blood. The healthiest measurement should be made after a minimum of 14 days.”
Changes in antibody formation time
Stating that there may be changes according to the person in the antibody formation process, Özer said, “We are talking about an average of 14 days. This period can be spread over 3 weeks or 1 month. In some cases, it may take up to 6 weeks for the immunoglobulin G response to become detectable. It should not be forgotten that in a very rare number of people, the antibody may reach a high level and detectable level in the blood before 14 days.
The antibody is predicted to remain in the blood for 4-6 months.
Expressing that it is difficult to answer how long the antibody will remain in the blood than how long it will occur, Özer said, “We do not yet know how long this period will be for Covid-19. With the current information, we can predict that it will remain high for an average of 4-6 months. We can say that when antibodies are formed in the body with the cornavirus vaccine or coronavirus disease, it can be detected in the blood for 4-6 months and can protect from the disease.
It is estimated that it will increase to 1 year with the vaccine.
Stating that the 6-month period was extended up to 1 year with the vaccine, and they thought that the level of immunoglobulin G in the blood would be high for 1 year, Dr. Songül Özer said, “The vaccination studies have just started. The first vaccinations abroad began in December. That’s why they had antibodies measured 14 days after the vaccination and they started to detect and work. In order to measure how long the antibody remains high, we estimate that Immunoglobulin G control is performed once a week in clinical studies. However, they cannot say how long it stays high because it has been 1 month or 2 months in some countries since the vaccine started. The number of countries whose second dose vaccine applications have been completed is already very few. It hasn’t been 2 months yet. Therefore, we expect the work to be completed in 3-5 months. These studies will show how long the antibody stays in the blood. We can see these studies in other diseases and other vaccines as well.”
Vaccination schedule can be reapplied in hepatitis B
Stating that the hepatitis B vaccine is one of the most frequently observed vaccines, Özer said, “We do the hepatitis B vaccine in 3 doses or sometimes 4 doses depending on the immune status. Then we check after 6 months and 1 year. As a result of the controls, we can see that no antibodies have developed. Since the picture is different in hepatitis B, we reapply the 016 vaccination schedule as if we had never been vaccinated. In this case, we give the patient another chance. Then we do the antibody test again and if the result is negative again, we give up. We haven’t had a chance to check it yet in covid-19. We do not have a patient experience yet,” he said.
A second chance can also be given to a person in Covid-19
Dr. Songül Özer said, “Scientists have not yet recommended to reapply the vaccination schedule as in the Hepatitis B vaccine, regarding the case that the person does not develop antibodies at the end of 6 weeks after the coronavirus vaccine,” and concluded her words as follows:
“But they can probably suggest that way. Because we always give patients a second chance to develop antibodies. Some immune systems need a little more antigenic stimulation before they can work. If the person still does not develop antibodies after the second vaccination, we stop the study. Even though we already vaccinate, we say that we should pay attention to mask, distance and cleaning. For people who do not develop antibodies, it is necessary to close the issue. In this case, they should always keep the precautions against viruses in their lives and continue to be protected.”
Source: (BHA) – Beyaz News Agency
