Two doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine provide long-lasting protection against the Indian 'Delta' variant, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that 96 percent of people who completed Moderna's vaccine regimen had antibodies that protected against Delta at least six months after getting their shots.
The patients were also well-protected against several other variants of concern, including the UK 'Alpha' variant and the Brazil 'Gamma' variant.
The South Africa 'Beta' variant did not fare as well, with only 54 percent of patients retaining antibodies at six months.
The findings reaffirm that vaccination is the best possible protection against Delta, with Moderna's shot out-performing other Covid vaccines.
Two doses of Moderna's Covid vaccine provide long-term protection against Covid, including against variants of concern, a new NIH study finds. Pictured: A health worker in Indonesia holds up two vials of Moderna's vaccine, August 2021
After patients received their second shot, their immune systems remained primed to respond to Covid infection for six months, the study shows. Pictured: Antibody response against Alpha variant (blue line), Delta variant (pink line), Beta variant (red line), and others
The super-contagious Delta variant is now causing more than 90 percent of new Covid cases in the U.S., driving the country's current surge.
As recent studies revealed that fully vaccinated people may become infected with this variant and spread it to others, many Americans have become concerned about the vaccines' capacity to protect against Delta.
While fully vaccinated transmission is possible - leading to renewed mask mandates - real-world data suggest that vaccinated people are unlikely to get a severe case of Covid.
The vast majority of Covid patients in America's hospitals are unvaccinated, while vaccinated people tend to have milder cases - or be fully asymptomatic.
A new study reinforces the protective abilities of vaccination, focusing on Moderna's vaccine.
The study - conducted by researchers at the NIH - was published Thursday in the journal Science.
Researchers examined the immune systems of 24 volunteers who had received two doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The group included eight people in the 18-55 age range, eight in the 55-79 range, and eight people over age 71.
These volunteers' immune systems were measured four weeks after their first Moderna dose and two weeks, three months, and six months after their second dose.
Many past studies on
