Bivalent booster shots can help the human immune system recognize new COVID-19 variants, two new studies suggest, but it may not offer protection against all future strains. “When you see another variant, your immune system should be able to recognize it, whether you have been vaccinated by something related to it or you actually became infected by it,” Dr.
Donald Vinh, an infectious diseases specialist at McGill University Health Centre, told Global News. However, it “doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be protected from everything downstream,” he added. Read more: Ontario residents aged 12-plus now eligible for bivalent COVID booster dose This is because no one knows what kind of new variants are going to emerge in the long run and what impact they’ll have on the human immune system, according to Vinh.
The studies published in the bioRxiv preprint server in September suggest that a booster shot or breakthrough infection can help develop B cells (in humans) that create antibodies to recognize a broader range of strains and not just the one introduced by the vaccine.
But Vinh emphasizes that the findings of the two studies shouldn’t make people assume that if they take the bivalent booster, they’ll be able to fight off whatever variant comes up in the future.