People with vasculitis may need at least three or four vaccinations for COVID-19 before they start to show an immune response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, new research has suggested.
In a longitudinal retrospective study, serum antibody neutralization against the Omicron variant of the virus and its descendants was found to be “largely absent” after the first two doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been given to patients. But increasing neutralizing antibody titers were seen after both the third and fourth vaccine boosters had been administered.
Results also showed that the more recently people had been treated with the B-cell–depleting therapy rituximab, the lower the levels of immunogenicity that were achieved, and thus protection against SARS-CoV-2.
“Our results…