Covid vaccine: Does it matter if antibody levels fall over time?

Available for over a year

Some Covid vaccine studies suggest antibody levels wane over time. Dr Natalia Freund, a leading immunologist at Tel Aviv University, explains how this is common with other diseases and that it doesn’t necessarily mean an individual isn’t protected. So are “booster” jabs necessary? Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, assesses the evidence. Prof Salim Abdool Karim, a clinical infectious disease epidemiologist and a Member of the African Task Force on Coronavirus, questions the ethics around giving people a third vaccine, considering so many people have not received a single dose. (Image: Doctor offers plaster to woman after she receives a vaccine, Credit: Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images.)