Study Shows Low Antibody Levels Are the Culprit in Breakthrough COVID-19 Infections

A study of 1,500 fully vaccinated Israeli healthcare workers found that those with low antibody levels were more likely to experience breakthrough COVID-19 infections. However, the risk for breakthrough infections was still low; only 39 cases out of the 1,500 sample population were found. Recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study compared the antibody tests of those with breakthrough infections 1 week prior to infection to those who had not been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Those with the breakthrough infections had significantly lower neutralizing antibodies to the novel coronavirus in their blood than those who had never been infected. It remains unclear exactly why some study participants had lower antibody levels. One thing was known: all of the breakthrough infections were initiated via exposure to an unvaccinated individual. Click here to read more.