Vaccine Table Update: June 4, 2021

With "natural infection" added

Additions are in peach. Sources (and explanations) are below. (If you’re a paying subscriber and want a PDF, reply to this email and I can send it to you with and without highlights).

New variant names

• This week, the WHO (finally) agreed upon an easy to use variant naming system. So, I updated the table with the new names. You should start seeing changes in mass media too (I hope).

Pfizer

• Works against Kappa: 34% after the first dose and 88% after the second dose

Moderna

• Early in May, Moderna announced the preliminary results from the adolescent trial (called TeenCOVE). Vaccine efficacy is 96% against severe disease. No serious safety concerns identified. This is now on it’s way to the FDA (see the process again here).

AstraZeneca

• Works against Alpha: 66% effectiveness (here)

• Works against Kappa: 60% effectiveness (here)

Natural Infection

Remember, if you’ve recovered from COVID19, it’s recommended you get the vaccine for four reasons. Nonetheless, a lot of you have been asking me to add a “naturally infected” data. I’ve been waiting for more reinfection data to be published. This coupled with WHO’s recent scientific brief of natural immunity, initiated this new column:

• About 90-99% of those that have recovered from COVID19 have detectable antibodies for at least 4 weeks (here, here, here, here, here). However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are protected from disease. Natural infection can mount a messy response (see more here)

• Natural infection provides 80-90% protection from reinfection (here, here, here, here). It’s provides about 50% protection for those 65+ (here)

• For some, protection can last 8 months (because we have 8 months of data, it’s probably more). However, for others, we have seen waning protection occurring within several months. (here, here, here, here, here)

• “Natural antibodies” have reduced effectiveness against Beta and Gamma (here, here, here, here). And, particularly, MILD infection doesn’t seem to work against Beta and Gamma variants. However, SEVERE infection (i.e. hospitalization) seems to still work (here).

Okay, that’s it for now.

Love, YLE