Under the title "New Evidence Reveals Superiority of Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines: Immunity 10 Times Stronger," the Al Arabiya website reported that there is a significant gap in the amount of antibodies generated by mRNA-based vaccines compared to those using traditional methods, such as inactivated viruses against Covid-19, according to a study conducted in Hong Kong. This recent discovery highlights the varying results following mass vaccination with different types of vaccines.
The research, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet on Thursday, found that antibody levels among healthcare workers in Hong Kong who were fully vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine from German company BioNTech and its American partner Pfizer were about 10 times higher than those observed in recipients of the inactivated vaccine from Chinese company Sinovac.
The researchers noted that "the difference in the concentrations of neutralizing antibodies identified in the study could translate into significant differences in vaccine effectiveness." This finding adds to a growing body of evidence indicating the superiority of mRNA vaccines in providing strong and comprehensive protection against the Covid-19 virus and its variants, as compared to those using more traditional methods, such as inactivated virus vaccines.
Regions from Israel to the United States, which primarily relied on mRNA vaccines from Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech, as well as the American company Moderna, have witnessed a significant reduction in infections. In contrast, countries that predominantly used inactivated vaccines from Chinese companies Sinovac and Sinopharm did not experience the same degree of decline in case numbers, although both types of vaccines significantly prevented the most severe Covid-19 symptoms and deaths.
The reduced effectiveness of inactivated vaccines has led countries from Thailand to the United Arab Emirates to offer additional booster shots to individuals who had already been vaccinated, as the more contagious Delta variant fuels a resurgence of the pandemic. The Hong Kong study also suggested that future research could explore how booster doses might elevate antibody levels and protection among individuals vaccinated with traditional vaccines.
