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The most important thing to know about Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine

  • Moderna published new coronavirus immunity data indicating that Phase 1 volunteers developed stronger immunity three months after the second dose than a control group of COVID-19 survivors.
  • The results indicate that the mRNA-1273 vaccine will deliver robust protection against COVID-19.
  • The NIAID will continue to monitor Moderna volunteers to deliver more immunity data beyond the strength of antibodies.

Moderna announced its final coronavirus vaccine Phase 3 study results a few days ago, confirming the interim efficacy rate of 94% that was disclosed in November. That’s to say that 94 out of 100 people who are vaccinated with the mRNA drug that Moderna will be protected against COVID-19. Equally as important, inoculated people who do catch COVID-19 will not experience a severe coronavirus infection, according to Moderna’s announcement. Moderna has submitted the paperwork for emergency approval, with the FDA review scheduled for December 17th. If authorized, the drug will then be shipped to vaccination centers on December 22nd.

So far, Moderna has only detailed the vaccine’s efficacy, safety, and manufacturing plans in the previous announcement. Now, the company has followed up with another announcement that answers one of the most critical questions about the vaccine: how long does immunity last? Moderna is ready to provide the first answers, saying that the data is promising and the drug will deliver durable protection against COVID-19.


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Moderna said that National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) delivered a letter to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine to update vaccine immunity data from the Phase 1 trial. Moderna partnered with the NIAID on the vaccine development program, and the immunity study was led by NIAID researchers.

In the letter, NIAID’s Dr. Alicia Widge detailed the immunity data for 119 days after the first vaccination, which is 90 days after the second vaccination. Initially, the Phase 1 interim data covered a period of 57 days after the first vaccination. The 34 healthy adult individuals in the Phase 1 trial were given the two shots 28 days apart. They represent all age groups, including 18-55, 56-70, and over 71.

“At the 100-μg dose, mRNA-1273 produced high levels of binding and neutralizing antibodies that declined slightly over time, as expected, but they remained elevated in all participants 3 months after the booster vaccination,” the letter reads.

Furthermore, the letter notes that the binding and neutralizing geometric mean titter (GMT) at day 119 exceeded the GMTs in a panel of 41 survivors who had COVID-19 and were used as a control group during the Phase 1 trial. In other words, coronavirus immunity from the Moderna vaccine is better than natural immunity developed from direct exposure to the virus. The letter also says that no serious adverse events were noted in the Phase 1 group after day 57.

“Although correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans are not yet established, these results show that despite a slight expected decline in titers of binding and neutralizing antibodies, mRNA-1273 has the potential to provide durable humoral immunity,” Widge said.

The letter notes that natural infection provides variable antibody longevity “and may induce robust memory B cell responses despite low plasma neutralizing activity.” Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 survivors develop three types of SARS-CoV-2-specific white blood cell types, including B cells, T killer cells, and T helper cells. These will remember the first infection and offer a quick response upon reencountering the virus.

The mRNA-1273 vaccine did deliver “primary CD4 type 1 helper T responses 43 days after the first vaccination,” according to the letter. But the memory cellular response study is not yet finished. The letter says that studies of vaccine-induced B cells are ongoing, and more data will be available in the future. “Longitudinal vaccine responses are critically important, and a follow-up analysis to assess safety and immunogenicity in the participants for a period of 13 months is ongoing,” the letter reads.


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While the letter only details immunity readings from 90 days after the second shot, it’s still auspicious news. The first volunteer received the first shot of mRNA-1273 on March 16th. That person had strong COVID-19 immunity 119 days later, by July 13th, according to the data. Researchers need time to collect and analyze samples from all volunteers, which explains why results can’t be released sooner. It also explains why Moderna and other vaccine makers can’t say what sort of average coronavirus immunity the Phase 1 volunteers have at this point. The more time passes, the better understanding we’ll have of just how long coronavirus immunity lasts.

Moderna and other COVID-19 vaccine developers will soon measure Phase 2 and Phase 3 immunity and deliver more updated information.

A recent study of convalescent COVID-19 patients showed that the immune responses are quite strong, with white blood cells surviving in surprising quantities for at least eight months after the initial infection. If B and T cells can live even longer than that, COVID-19 immunity will last even longer, regardless of whether it’s obtained after infection or vaccination.

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