Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in 45,965 adults from the general population of the United Kingdom
Jia Wei, Nicole Stoesser, Philippa C. Matthews, Daniel Ayoubkhani, Ruth Studley, Iain Bell, John I. Bell, John Newton, Jeremy Farrar, Ian Diamond, Emma Rourke, Alison Howarth, Brian D. Marsden, Sarah Hoosdally, E. Yvonne Jones, David I. Stuart, Derrick W. Crook, Tim Peto, Koen B. Pouwels, David W. Eyre, A. Sarah Walker, the COVID-19 Infection Survey team, Alex Lambert, Tina Thomas, Russell Black, Antonio Felton, Megan Crees, Joel W. Jones, Lina Lloyd, Esther Sutherland, Emma Pritchard, Karina-Doris Vihta, George Doherty, James Kavanagh, Kevin Chau, Stephanie B. Hatch, Daniel Ebner, Lucas Martins Ferreira, Thomas Christott, Wanwisa Dejnirattisai, Juthathip Mongkolsapaya, Sarah Cameron, Phoebe Tamblin-Hopper, Magda Wolna, Rachael Brown, Richard J. Cornall, Gavin Screaton, Katrina Lythgoe, David Bonsall, Tanya Golubchik, Helen Fryer, Stuart Cox, Kevin Paddon, Tim James, Thomas House, Julie V. Robotham, Paul Birrell, Helena Jordan, Tim Sheppard, Graham Athey, Dan Moody, Leigh Curry, Pamela Brereton, Ian Jarvis, Anna Godsmark, George Morris, Bobby Mallick, Phil Eeles, Jodie Hay, Harper VanSteenhouse, Jessica Lee
Abstract
We report that in a cohort of 45,965 adults, who were receiving either the ChAdOx1 or the BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, in those who had no prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, seroconversion rates and quantitative antibody levels after a single dose were lower in older individuals, especially in those aged >60 years. Two vaccine doses achieved high responses across all ages. Antibody levels increased more slowly and to lower levels with a single dose of ChAdOx1 compared with a single dose of BNT162b2, but waned following a single dose of BNT162b2 in older individuals. In descriptive latent class models, we identified four responder subgroups, including a 'low responder' group that more commonly consisted of people aged >75 years, males and individuals with long-term health conditions. Given our findings, we propose that available vaccines should be prioritized for those not previously infected and that second doses should be prioritized for individuals aged >60 years. Further data are needed to better understand the extent to which quantitative antibody responses are associated with vaccine-mediated protection.