Biden received a new COVID booster as part of the administration's push to increase uptake, but two new research papers cast doubt on whether they are any better than the original vaccines.
www.npr.org
Study shows that new boosters may not be better than the old ones--- based on human studies
From the link:
DAVID HO: To disappointment, the bivalent vaccine did not show superiority over the original vaccine.
STEIN: About a month after getting the shots, the new boosters did not stimulate significantly higher levels of antibodies that could neutralize the omicron subvariants infecting most people right now.
SUMMERS: OK. So Rob, does this mean people should not bother getting these new boosters?
STEIN: No, no. No, not at all. First of all, some researchers say the jury is still out about how effective the new boosters are. Deepta Bhattacharya at the University of Arizona says the new studies were too small and too short to reach any firm conclusions.
DEEPTA BHATTACHARYA: For those who are saying, see, see, I told you so, I would say, let's stand down a little bit and wait for some cleaner data to come out because these studies can't be used to support, really, one argument or another.
STEIN: Even if the new boosters aren't any better than the original vaccine, they still look like they're at least just as good at helping restore some of the immunity that has faded since people got their last shots or infections, and that could be lifesaving, especially for those who are most vulnerable, like the elderly. And, you know, there's still the possibility that bigger, longer studies could show the new boosters are superior - that they could provide maybe longer-lasting immunity or even possibly help people fight off new variants that might emerge. But Dr. John Wherry at the University of Pennsylvania says people have to be realistic about just how much better they might be.
JOHN WHERRY: It's a little bit of a - sort of a reality check or a reset that the bivalent vaccines are not a magic bullet. They're not going to give us, you know, perfect protection from these new omicron variants that are circulating.
STEIN: So people can't let down their guard just because they've gotten one of these new boosters.
