Randomized controlled trials demonstrated that each of these vaccines provided significant protection against severe disease 1, 2, 3, with neutralizing antibody titers being strongly correlated with protection 4, 5. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for three vaccines developed against SARS-CoV-2 including the single-dose viral vector vaccine and the two-dose mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to millions of deaths worldwide. These findings may inform booster recommendations in the future. The durability of neutralizing antibody responses differed by vaccine type and several sociodemographic factors that predicted response. Women and non-smokers showed higher nAB compared to men and current smokers, respectively. A higher baseline BMI was associated with a lower nAB for recipients but not for recipients of other vaccines. Irrespective of follow-up timing, being older was associated with lower nAB for participants who received BNT162b2 and but not for those who received mRNA-1273. At the 6-month time point, nABs to were significantly higher than nABs to BNT162b2 and equivalent to mRNA-1273. Over 6 months of follow-up, nABs declined in recipients of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, while nABs in recipients of showed a significant increase. Participants completed questionnaires and underwent blood draws prior to vaccination, 1 month, and 6 months after the vaccination series, and neutralizing antibody (nAB) titers at 1- and 6-months post vaccination were quantified using a high-throughput pseudovirus assay. This was a head-to-head comparison study following 498 healthy, community volunteers who received the BNT162b2 (n = 287), mRNA-1273 (n = 149), and (n = 62). As concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue, it is critical to understand the impact of vaccination type on neutralizing antibody response durability as well as to identify individual difference factors related to decline in neutralization.

Up in Smoke by T.M. Frazier