Tatyana Nepomnyashchikh, deputy head of the Vector center for scientific and methodological work and international cooperation, said that a high level of antibodies does not guarantee effective protection against coronavirus. She stated that one should not "chase in vain for high levels of antibodies", as this is not entirely the right approach. "There must be a sufficient titer of antibodies and other elements of the immune system, so they can, in combination, provide protection against coronavirus," the candidate of biological sciences explained in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda. She noted that the Russian vaccine "EpiVacCorona" was developed without a race for a wide variety of types of antibodies and their high levels. It targets the production of antibodies that are needed to protect against infection. "Vector" has selected the most conserved regions of COVID-19 proteins, which ensure the formation of effective immunity. In addition, Nepomnyashchikh explained why many people vaccinated with EpiVacCorona do not show antibodies. According to her, the sensitivity of test systems in commercial clinics, laboratories and clinics may be insufficient to detect a small pool of antibodies formed after vaccination. Areg Totolyan, director of the Pasteur Institute of Rospotrebnadzor, said that vaccinations with Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines give more chances of getting antibodies than in case of passively transferred infection.
