COVID-19: mRNA vaccines provide durable protection against severe illness

A recent study used surveillance data for the entire population of North Carolina to evaluate the durability of protection provided by the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This large observational study showed that all vaccines provided a high degree of protection against hospitalizations and death at least 6 months after vaccination. However, there was a gradual decline in the ability of these vaccines to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection following 1-2 months after vaccination, with the lowest level of protection observed in individuals receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The study appears in the journal New England Journal of Medicine. Potential causes of waning immunity The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency approval for the use of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 between December 2020 and February 2021. They based the authorization of these vaccines on short-term safety and efficacy data from clinical trials....