"Pfizer and Moderna Effects Last Several Years... 'Lifetime' If Vaccinated After COVID Recovery, US Researchers Announce"

On the 21st, medical staff at Kyung Hee Medical Center in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, are aliquoting the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] A study has found that receiving mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) COVID-19 vaccines such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna may provide protective effects lasting several years.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 28th (local time) that researchers at Washington University in St. Louis published a paper with these findings in the journal Nature.

The researchers stated that most people vaccinated with mRNA vaccines may not need booster shots unless the virus undergoes significant evolution from its current form.

According to the paper, when receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, a special cellular structure called a germinal center forms in the lymph nodes. This structure plays a role in enabling memory B cells that recognize the virus to suppress the emergence of variant viruses for a long time.

The 14 study participants still had active germinal centers 15 weeks after their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and the number of memory cells recognizing the COVID-19 virus did not decrease, the researchers reported.

In particular, the paper also suggested that individuals who recovered from COVID-19 and then received vaccination may have lifelong immunity.

However, for those who have only been vaccinated without prior COVID-19 infection, it remains unclear exactly how many years immunity may last. The researchers also noted that elderly people or those with weakened immune systems may still require booster shots even after receiving mRNA vaccines.

Accordingly, the newspaper analyzed that the paper implies most people vaccinated with mRNA vaccines can be protected long-term against minimal variant viruses. However, there is also criticism that this theory may be less meaningful due to the virus evolving rapidly.

Additionally, although the researchers did not provide a separate analysis of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen, they predicted that the immune response duration would be shorter compared to mRNA vaccines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.