Potent Antibody Response Elicited by a Third Booster Dose of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine in Healthy Subjects

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine has been used worldwide on a large scale because of its potent ability to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the antibody response induced by the vaccine needs to be elucidated. Thus, we conducted a prospective trial in healthy subjects to observe the antibody response after three doses of inactivated vaccines. Our results showed that neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels were significantly higher after the booster vaccination compared to the second, a 4.9-fold increase, with the peak occurring at 28 days. The NAb level could be maintained for a longer period after the third vaccination, with higher levels still observed after 3 months. We did not observe significantly higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific immunoglobulin G (S-IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) after the third vaccination compared with the second vaccination; this was especially true for SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific immunoglobulin M (S-IgM), which was barely expressed. Notably, those who did not undergo NAb seroconversion after two doses of the vaccine produced high and long-lasting NAb after the third vaccination, confirming that they were not completely unresponsive to the vaccine. The NAb titer in younger subjects (aged 20-40 years) rose 3.4-fold compared with older subjects (aged 40-60 years) after the second vaccination, but the difference was narrowed after the third vaccination (2.8-fold increase). In addition, the levels of antibodies in older men were 3.4-fold lower than those in the older women after the third vaccination. Overall, this study elucidates the dynamic change in antibodies after three doses of vaccination, which provides a reference for the improvement of vaccination strategies.

Automated summary

This study investigated the antibody response after three doses of inactivated vaccines in healthy subjects. The results showed that neutralizing antibody levels significantly increased after booster vaccination and could be maintained for a longer period. After the third vaccination, the levels of S-IgG and IgM did not significantly increase, and S-IgM was barely expressed. Subjects who did not undergo NAb seroconversion after two doses of the vaccine produced high and long-lasting NAb after the third vaccination. The NAb titer in younger subjects increased more significantly than in older subjects after the second vaccination, but the difference narrowed after the third vaccination. In addition, the antibody levels in older men were lower than those in older women after the third vaccination.