The 62-year-old man came to the attention of researchers after German prosecutors launched a corruption probe into evidence that he received 130 coronavirus vaccinations over a nine-month period, far more than recommended by health authorities. It was when I collected the .
“We learned about his case through newspaper articles,” says Kilian Schober, one of the study’s authors. Said In a statement. “We then contacted him and encouraged him to undergo various tests. … He was very interested in doing so.”
The man agreed to provide blood samples, including new samples, results from previous blood tests, and blood samples that had been frozen in recent years.
The man said he had received 217 vaccinations for “personal reasons.” German authorities did not file criminal charges.
In conducting the study, researchers speculated that receiving too many shots could fatigue the immune system. Vaccines generate immune memory cells that are ready to quickly activate the body’s defenses in the event of an infection.
But the researchers found that the man actually had more of these immune cells, known as T cells, than a control group who received the standard three-dose vaccination. The researchers also said there was no detectable fatigue in these cells, and the effect was similar to that of people who received a normal number of coronavirus vaccinations.
“Overall, we didn’t find any signs of a weakened immune response; quite the opposite,” said Katharina Kocher, one of the study’s lead authors.
Researchers said the 217th vaccination was still effective, and the man’s antibodies against the coronavirus “resulted in a significant increase”. (Researchers say the men insisted on getting vaccinated again during the study.) They took blood samples, which helped determine how their immune systems were responding. )
The researchers clarified that despite their findings, they “do not support overvaccination as a strategy to enhance adaptive immunity.”
It said it had found no signs that the man had ever been infected with the coronavirus, but could not prove a causal link between his “over-vaccination” and his avoidance of infection.
More than 60 million people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in Germany, most of whom have received several doses.
Last month in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people: People 65 and older will receive a second dose of a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available in the fall, as they are at higher risk of severe illness from the virus.
Consuming since the CDC recommends People over 5 years old Up-to-date vaccine uptake is low, with only about 22 percent of people over the age of 18 receiving the latest vaccine shot.And just The Washington Post previously reported that about 42% of people 65 and older have been vaccinated.
Lena H. Sun contributed to this report