Study: COVID-19 breakthrough risk more likely with this vaccine
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Results of a new study show a coronavirus infection in fully vaccinated people, known as a breakthrough case, is more likely to occur in those who’ve received a certain shot over another.
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According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, people who’ve gotten the two-dose series of Moderna are less likely to get COVID-19 compared to the Pfizer shot, also a two-dose series.
Both are mRNA vaccines meaning they use the same technology to protect against infection. So, why is there a difference if these vaccines are nearly identical in terms of the pathway to protection?
“They do work similarly in terms of how they get your own body to present the protein to stimulate the immune response,” Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health, told News 8. “But they are slightly different in terms of the makeup of the fragment of that spike protein.”
Authors echo Doehring’s statement saying it remains unclear as to what the mechanism is behind the difference. However, Moderna seems to be holding up better.
In a sample of over 25,000 people, Moderna was 86% effective after six months. Pfizer was considerably lower showing 76% effectiveness. However, Doehring wants Hoosiers to know these cases, regardless of injection, are extremely rare and should a person get the virus after being fully vaccinated, the infection will likely be mild.
According to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, there have been a total of 10,262 vaccine breakthrough infections in 46 states.