January 4, 2022 – According to The Washington Post, a fourth shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine produced a significant boost in antibodies a week after the shot was administered. The preliminary results of a study from the Israeli government shows that antibodies were increased by five times, showing how effective a second booster shot could be at reducing current and future variants of COVID-19.
Israel is the first country to begin a major second-booster campaign, offering the fourth shot to those who are over 60 years of age and had their last vaccination at least four months ago. Naftalie Bennet, the Israeli Prime Minister, said that these early results showed a “very high likelihood that the fourth dose will protect vaccinated people to a great degree against infection to some degree and against severe symptoms.”
The study was conducted by Israel’s Sheba Medical Center a week after participants received the boosters, when researchers found a significant improvement of antibodies without any worsening adverse effects. Sheba spokesman Steve Walz said, “The fourth shot acted just like the first and second shots. A few people had low fevers, a few had sore arms but nothing more than that.”
The Post also reported that Walz will be a volunteer in another study where previous Pfizer recipients will be injected with a booster of the Moderna vaccine. This research is intended to test whether mixing and matching the vaccine will produce a better immune response.