COVID immunisation, according to new research, provides long-term protection against the severe effects of infection. The findings were published in the prestigious 'New England Journal of Medicine.' The advent of the Delta and Omicron variants has sparked debate about whether diminishing immunity or the more transmissible variants are to blame for breakthrough infections. According to the findings, breakthrough infections are caused by declining immunity, but vaccines provided protection against hospitalisation and severe disease nine months after the first shot.

Danyu Lin, PhD, Dennis Gillings Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, said, "The key takeaway message from our study is that unvaccinated persons should get vaccinated right away." "Our findings also highlight the significance of booster shots, particularly for older persons," Lin noted.

The effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines in reducing the risk of COVID-19 reached a peak of about 95% two months after the first dose, according to the study, and then gradually declined. At seven months, the Pfizer vaccine's efficiency had declined to 67%, while the Moderna vaccine's effectiveness had remained at 80%. From mid-June to mid-July, when the delta variation was increasing, the efficiency of the two mRNA vaccines declined drastically among early receivers. At one month after injection, the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus vaccine was 75% effective, but after five months, it was just 60% effective.

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