Moderna study: Those vaccinated last year more likely to contract COVID-19

by: Jordan Unger

(WJW) – A recent study shows that people who got the Moderna vaccine a year ago are more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who got it more recently.

Moderna’s Phase 3 COVE Study compared participants who received the vaccine between July 1, 2021 and August 27, 2021 to participants who got it between July 2020 and October 2020.

According to the analysis, “88 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 occurred in the more recently vaccinated group (49.0 cases per 1000 person-years) compared to 162 cases in the group vaccinated last year (77.1 cases per 1000 person-years).”

“The increased risk of breakthrough infections in COVE study participants who were vaccinated last year compared to more recently illustrates the impact of waning immunity and supports the need for a booster to maintain high levels of protection.

We hope these findings are helpful as health authorities and regulators continue to assess strategies for ending this pandemic,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.

There were 19 severe cases observed in the study, Moderna said.

A manuscript summarizing the study will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.