Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the antibody response in immunocompromised individuals following two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine; and if these individuals are adequately protected from COVID-19 as virus infection rates rise across areas of England.

Public Health England (PHE) has been monitoring the proportion of the population with antibodies to natural COVID-19 infection from the start of the pandemic, including in the immunocompromised. PHE is also monitoring the effectiveness of vaccinations in clinical risk groups which will include those with immunosuppression. From the evaluation of the vaccine programme, the data shows that completion of the two dose schedule correlates well with protection from both disease and severe outcomes, including hospitalisation and death including in those who are immunocompromised.

The Virus Watch data supported by the Antibody Testing Team in NHS Test and Trace provides information regarding patients’ antibodies including immunocompromised patients. This would suggest some protection against COVID-19 but it is only one measure of protection and does not look at cellular immunity which may be more important in terms of long-term immunity.