Fourth COVID vaccine offers strong immunity boost

A Southampton study has shown a fourth does of COVID-19 vaccines offer excellent boosting immunity protection.

Published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the latest results from the COV-BOOST trial revealed a fourth dose boosts antibody levels even higher than that of a third dose.

Professor Saul Faust, Professor of Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Disease and Director of the Southampton NIHR Clinical Research Facility, which led the study, said: “These results underline the benefits of the most vulnerable people receiving current spring boosters and gives confidence for any prospective autumn booster programme in the UK, if the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation considers it needed at that time.”

Fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been offered as a spring booster for those most vulnerable in the UK. This has been a precautionary strategy to maintain high levels of immunity prior to the study data being available. A wider group of people may be offered a fourth dose booster later this year.

The latest COV-BOOST findings now show that fourth dose mRNA booster vaccines for COVID-19 are well-tolerated in people who received Pfizer as a third dose. They are also effective at increasing both antibody and cellular immunity up to and above baseline and peak levels observed following third dose boosters.

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