Study in The Lancet Shows Superiority of Monovalent COVID Vaccine Against Omicron Variants: Importance of Continued Surveillance

In a new study published in The Lanceton the COVID vaccine, researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and the Biomedical Research Center at the National Institute for Health and Care Research at UCLH have highlighted the importance of continued surveillance of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the vaccine performance as the virus continues to evolve.

The study compared the effectiveness of the new monovalent COVID vaccine, specifically targeting the omicron XBB variant, with older bivalent vaccines containing a mixture of the omicron variant and the original strain of COVID-19. The UK initially rolled out bivalent vaccines in 2023 before moving to monovalent vaccines recommended by the World Health Organization.

The researchers found that both vaccines generated neutralizing antibodies against the most recent strain of omicron, BA.2.86. However, the new monovalent vaccine showed higher levels of antibodies against several omic variants.

Responses to the COVID-19 vaccine

The study was based on blood and nasal mucosa samples from 71 participants in the Legacy study, who received a fifth vaccination dose. The results revealed that those who received the monovalent vaccine had 3.5 times higher levels of antibodies against the XBB and BQ.1.1 strains after the booster vaccination, compared to those who received the bivalent vaccine.

Furthermore, the monovalent vaccine was found to increase the ability to produce mucosal antibodies against most of the variants tested, while the bivalent vaccine did not provide a significant boost in that regard.

Although neither vaccine increased levels of neutralizing antibodies in the nasal cavity against the most recent variant, BA.2.86, this suggests that current vaccines may be less effective at stopping transmission or preventing asymptomatic or mild disease. At the same time, it highlights the importance of updating vaccines and developing drugs with antibodies that work against all variants.

Emma Wall, senior clinical researcher at the Crick and infectious diseases consultant at UCLH, stressed the need for continued surveillance and the development of effective vaccines against all new variants to block human-to-human transmission of COVID-19.

David LV Bauer, group leader of the RNA Virus Replication Laboratory at the Crick, highlighted the importance of continuous surveillance and said laboratory analyzes can provide a detailed and rapid picture of viral evolution.

2024-03-12 15:09:14
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