This vaccine has the highest antibody levels

• People vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine had higher antibody levels than those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, according to a new study.
• In people who were previously uninfected, the Moderna vaccine had antibody levels more than twice as high as Pfizer.
• Only 52% of the U.S. population is vaccinated.

The Moderna vaccine seems to provide more antibodies than other vaccines.

People vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Moderna jab had higher antibody levels than those vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, according to a new study.

A letter published by the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday found that the Moderna vaccine produced more than twice as many antibodies compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech jab in uninfected participants across all age groups.

How come Moderna produces more antibodies?

The research, which observed a group of 2,499 Belgian health care workers who received a two-dose vaccination from either provider, conducted serological testing before vaccinations and six to 10 weeks after the second dose was administered, which took placed from late April to mid-May.

The Moderna vaccine elicited an antibody level of 3,836 U/mL, a far greater number when compared to the Pfizer vaccine, which had an antibody level of 1,444 U/mL. In previously uninfected participants, a similar trend was spotted: the Moderna shot recorded antibody levels more than twice as high as Pfizer.

“A relationship between neutralization level after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and protection against COVID-19 has been demonstrated by several studies,” researchers said in the letter. “As such, the height of the humoral response after vaccination, which correlates with neutralizing antibody titers, might be clinically relevant.”

Moderna vaccine controversy

The Moderna vaccine has come under scrutiny recently. Federal officials began probing the vaccine to see if it’s linked to a higher risk of heart inflammation in young adults after a source told The Washington Post that there’s a 2.5 times higher chance of getting myocarditis in recipients of the Moderna vaccine compared to the Pfizer one. However, officials maintain that staying safe outweighs the risk.

Despite the fact that several businesses require employees to get vaccinated in order to return to work, many Americans remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 as the Delta variant continues to disrupt recovery efforts.

Only 52% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the latest data, and now all non-essential travel to European countries is on thin ice after the EU opened its borders to American travelers less than two months ago.

The hope for Americans to get vaccinated came with a strong push recently after the Pfizer vaccine was granted full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for formal use, shedding its emergency use label that many said was their reason for not getting vaccinated.

Last week, Moderna completed its paperwork for full FDA approval, but a decision has not yet been made.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently said all adults in the U.S. will be able to receive a third shot of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines starting Sept. 20. Individuals will be eligible once eight months have elapsed since their second dose, according to the announcement.

The need for a booster shot has been debated amongst health officials for months, but recent data shows that protection from the initial doses begins to fade over time.

Read next: More than half of COVID-19 survivors experience symptoms a year later.