Press Releases

Richmond Research Institute asks the question, 'Do post-COVID-19 patients need a second dose of vaccine?'

Richmond Research Institute is actively involved in COVID-19 symptoms testing for all staff and visitors who attempt entry to Richmond Pharmacology's London bridge clinical trial unit. The data accumulated throughout this period before and after vaccination has led to the following publication: 'Do post-COVID-19 patients need a second dose of vaccine?

Vaccination forms a key part of public health strategies to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 globally. In the UK, two vaccines (BNT162b2-mRNA produced by Pfizer, and ChAdOx-1-S produced by Oxford-AstraZeneca) have been licensed to date, and their administration is prioritised according to individual risk. This publication examines a longitudinal assessment of participants' SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels before and after vaccination. Our results confirm that there is little quantitative difference in the antibody titres achieved by the two vaccines. Our results also suggest that individuals who have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 achieve markedly higher antibody titres than those who have yet to show signs of infection. The finding helps inform vaccine strategies in the future: individuals with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection should be prioritised for a second vaccine inoculation.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.09.21255200v1​