Elderly residents of senior living communities have a detectable antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination, according to the results of a new study from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Investigators tested blood samples from 70 residents of UPMC Senior Communities, including assisted living, personal care and independent living communities. Participants had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and were not on immunosuppressive therapies. All 70 residents were found to have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Levels were variable, and the study did not provide evidence about whether the response is adequate to fight off the virus, the researchers noted.
“Our study gives some cautious good news while pointing to knowledge gaps that will need more research,” said lead author David A. Nace, M.D., MPH, chief medical officer of UPMC Senior Communities and an associate professor in Pitt’s Division of Geriatric Medicine.
“Clinical protection is afforded not just by pre-formed antibody levels, but by ongoing adaptive immunity, which is known to be decreased in older individuals,” the researchers wrote.
The authors urge long-term care clinicians and healthcare workers to continue monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms and to remain cautious when reopening facilities.
The study has yet to be peer reviewed and was published in medRxiv, a preprint journal.
In related news:
COVID antibodies found after six months in Moderna vaccine recipients Antibody levels remained high in all age groups 209 days after receipt of a second Moderna COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to a new article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The response was detected by three distinct serologic assays, blood tests that determine antibody presence. The researchers note that it is not yet known what level of antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines is needed for lasting immunity, however. They plan to continue their research beyond the six-month mark.
