In a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers have founda simple yet useful strategy to boost the immune response to vaccines: alternating the arm in which vaccine doses are administered.
This study, focusing on the initial two doses of COVID vaccines, showed that people who received their shots in alternating arms exhibited a slight improvement in immunity compared to those who had both doses in the same arm.
This finding, although minor, could hold big implications for people who generally have weaker responses to vaccinations.
Given the vast number of Americans and individuals worldwide who have received multiple doses of COVID vaccines during the pandemic, the immediate relevance to COVID vaccination practices may be limited.
However, the implications extend beyond COVID vaccines to include all types of multi-dose vaccines, such as those administered during childhood.
Dr. Marcel Curlin, the lead researcher of the study, emphasized the need for further research before making definitive recommendations.
Nonetheless, he suggested that, based on these findings, alternating arms for vaccine injections could be a consideration for enhancing immunological responses.
Adding another layer to the discussion, the team highlighted that extending the interval between vaccine doses—as was practiced in Canada with COVID shots—might offer more significant benefits than arm-switching.
However, they also noted the importance of exploring all potential strategies to boost immune responses, especially for immunocompromised individuals, for whom any improvement could be valuable.
The study involved 54 pairs of university employees who were matched by age, gender, and the time since their first vaccine dose.
These participants were randomly assigned to receive their second vaccine dose either in the same arm as the first dose or in the opposite arm.
The results showed that arm-switching could increase blood antibody levels up to fourfold, enhancing the immune response not only to the original coronavirus strain but also to the omicron variant.
The team described the effect as consistent, statistically significant, and durable, suggesting that such a simple adjustment in vaccination practice could have meaningful benefits for public health.
As research continues, this discovery opens up new ways to optimize vaccine efficacy through easily implementable strategies.
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The research findings can be found in Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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