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Durability of humoral and cellular immunity six months after the BNT162b2 bivalent booster
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  • Julien Favresse,
  • Constant Gillot,
  • Mélanie Closset,
  • Julien Cabo,
  • Loris Wauthier,
  • Clara David,
  • Marc Elsen,
  • Jean-Michel Dogné,
  • Jonathan Douxfils
Julien Favresse
Universite de Namur

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Constant Gillot
Universite de Namur
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Mélanie Closset
CHU UCL Namur Departement de Medecine
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Julien Cabo
Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge
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Loris Wauthier
Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge
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Clara David
Qualiblood sa Research and Development Department
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Marc Elsen
Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge
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Jean-Michel Dogné
Universite de Namur
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Jonathan Douxfils
Universite de Namur
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Abstract

Introduction Studies about the duration of the humoral and cellular response following the bivalent booster administration are still scarce. We aimed at assessing the humoral and cellular response in a cohort of healthcare workers that received this booster. Material and methods Blood samples were collected before the administration of the bivalent booster from Pfizer-BioNTech and after 14, 28, 90, and 180 days. Neutralizing antibodies against either the D614G strain, the delta variant, the BA.5 variant, or the XBB.1.5 subvariant were measured. The cellular response was assessed by measurement of the release of interferon gamma (IFNγ) from T cells in response to an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 stimulation. Results A substantial waning of neutralizing antibodies was observed after 6 months (23.1‐fold decrease), especially considering the XBB.1.5 subvariant. The estimated T 1/2 of neutralizing antibodies was 16.1 days (95% CI=10.2–38.4 days). Although most participants still present a robust cellular response after 6 months (i.e., 95%), a significant decrease was also observed compared to the peak response (0.41 versus 0.95 UI/L, p=0.0083). Conclusion A significant waning of the humoral and cellular response was observed after 6 months. These data can also help national competent authorities in their recommendation regarding the administration of an additional booster.
20 Jul 2023Submitted to Journal of Medical Virology
20 Jul 2023Submission Checks Completed
20 Jul 2023Assigned to Editor
20 Jul 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
28 Jul 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
06 Sep 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major