Responses to the variant XBB.1.5 were reduced 20x.
QUICK FACTS:
- A recent study concluded that bivalent COVID-19 vaccines do not work well against the latest Covid variant, XBB.1.5.
- XBB.1.5 is an Omnicron subvariant accounting for 66% of Covid cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- While the vaccines initially “boosted neutralizing antibodies,” antibody levels significantly decreased three months later.
- Following bivalent mRNA boosting, responses to XBB.1.5 increase but remain low and wane within 3 months back to pre-boost levels,” said the Director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a co-author of the preprint study Dr. Dan Barouch.
- “These data suggest that once a year boosters with the current mRNA vaccines may not provide adequate protection for an entire year for those at high risk of complications of COVID-19,” the email continued.
- The bivalent boosters from both Pfizer and Moderna are reportedly replacing prior vaccine versions despite there being no clinical data to suggest such technologies are effective.
XBB.1.5. RESISTANCE:
- “XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible form of COVID-19 that we know of to date and may be more likely to infect people who have been vaccinated or already had COVID-19,” the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene tweeted.
- The department still called for citizens to be vaccinated.
- Infectious diseases specialist Peter Chin-Hong from the University of California, San Francisco, also noted that the latest booster is likely to be effective for only three months.
- “If you’re looking to prevent infections, even a mild infection, the vaccines are probably going to last maybe three months,” he said.
- Chinese researchers stated that “XBB.1.5 carries a Ser486Pro mutation on the spike protein, a rare two nucleotide substitution compared with the ancestral strain” and “requires immediate investigation.”
BACKGROUND:
- A paper published by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID) suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci and his NAID knew Covid vaccines were less effective than natural immunity.
- “In general, and when feasible, mucosal immunization seems the optimal approach for respiratory viruses,” the paper reads, noting that vaccinations are ineffective for respiratory illness.
- The paper, “Rethinking Next-Generation Vaccines for Coronaviruses, Influenzaviruses, and Other Respiratory Viruses,” was published shortly after Fauci stepped down as NAID director.
- Jeffrey Tucker of Brownstone Institute tweeted, “Wherein Fauci explains that a vaccine for Covid could never work to stop infection, spread, or end the pandemic.”
