Covid, “antibodies in 98.2% vaccinated health workers”: the Niguarda study

by time news

(time.news)

98.2% of the health workers vaccinated at the Niguarda hospital in Milan have antibodies against Covid-19. This is what emerges from a study conducted on the hospital staff of the structure and carried out in collaboration with the University of the Lombard capital. The survey involved 2,497 operators who received Pfizer / BioNTech’s Covid vaccine. For 62.6%, “very high levels of antibodies 14 days after the second administration of the vaccine” were detected. The study, one of the largest in Italy to date, will monitor long-term coverage with withdrawals at 3-6-12 months.


The research contributes to understanding the efficacy of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. The clinical study, called ‘Renaissance’, was conducted on what Niguarda defines as “one of the largest samples in Italy to date. Objective: to verify the immune response of hospital staff who, between January and February, received the doses of the vaccine in the Milan hospital The serological monitoring examined the 2,497 vaccinated subjects by subjecting them to a blood sample 14 days after the second administration, and it was thus possible to verify whether the drug had evoked a protective immunization.

In particular, explains the structure in a note, “thanks to a latest generation laboratory test, the IgG antibodies directed against the Rbd receptor of the Spike protein, that is the class of neutralizing Covid-19 antibodies that defend the cells from the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus “. The antibody response found was “very high”, explain the authors of the study: 98.4% of the total vaccinees examined – and not 98.2% as initially communicated by the hospital – developed the expected antibodies, showing very high titers, in most cases even beyond the measurable limits of the equipment used.

In detail, 62.6% of the sample had a response greater than 2,000 BAU (Binding Antibody Unit) / ml, 21.6% between 1,500 and 2,000 BAU / ml, 11.4% between 1,000 and 1,500 BAU / ml and 4.3% less than 1,000 BAU / ml. “Extremely positive and encouraging results”, explains Francesco Scaglione, director of the Laboratory of Chemical Analysis and Microbiology in Niguarda, “even above expectations. Out of 2.497 vaccinated, only 4 ‘non-responders’ were identified, specifically immunosuppressed people. with a history of transplants or pathologies that involve the use of drugs that inhibit the natural immune response “. After monitoring the persistence of the antibody response over time, it will also be possible to evaluate the neutralizing power of the antibodies to determine what may be the minimum threshold to consider the protection against Sars-CoV-2 infection really effective.

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