COVID Vaccines Trigger Protective Immune Response in Nursing Home Residents: Study

A new study published in medRxiv found older adults in long-term care communities develop detectable antibodies after COVID-19 vaccination, which may mean it is safe to reopen these communities, reports HealthDay News . Between March 15 and April 1, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) researchers tested blood from 70 residents of assisted living, personal care, and independent living communities. All had been administered either the Moderna or Pfizer coronavirus vaccines, and all developed antibodies against the virus. The researchers say there remains a need to monitor symptoms and controls on reopening, because it is uncertain how long the antibodies last. "Theoretically, having vaccine-induced antibodies will protect against the virus, but we'll need studies that follow long-term care residents over time before we can be confident saying how well and for how long vaccines offer protection," explains UPMC's Alan Wells.