A study from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University has found that nearly all Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine recipients have antibodies against the disease.
According to researchers, 98 per cent of those who received the vaccine had antibodies against the novel coronavirus, while the remaining 2 per cent were already “immune-compromised”.
The study included 209 vaccine recipients who received the vaccine between April and July this year, the researchers said at a press conference, reports bdnews24.com.
Prof Salahuddin Shah, chairman of the BSMMU Department of Hematology and co-author of the study, highlighted several notable aspects of the research, titled “Hematological Parameters and Antibody Titre after Vaccination Agent SARS-COV-2”, issued on Monday.
Over half of the participants already had underlying conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and other diseases, he said. “But there was no significant difference in the formation of antibodies after the vaccine was administered to these participants.”
Though other studies had highlighted unusual blot clotting among vaccine recipients, this was not observed among the participants in the study, Prof Salahuddin said.
“Nearly 42 per cent of vaccine recipients experienced side effects after taking the vaccine, but, in all cases, the symptoms were mild.”
Those who had previously been stricken by COVID-19 had more antibodies, according to the study.
More research is needed to analyse the changes in the antibody level over time and the effectiveness of the new vaccines recently approved for use in the country.
The research team led by BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed included Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development) Dr Zahid Hussain and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Dr AKM Mosharraf Hossain.
